What do you put in a chicken coop...?

Question

as far as a structure for the chickens to nest in?

and what are the dimensions of that structure?

also, what do chickens nest on (hay, straw, etc.)?

thank you

Answer 1

yeah what CIB said.

Answer 2

For nest boxes we've got ones that are 1 foot square boxes with a slat 2 to 3 inches high to keep straw in.  The boxes are 1 foot deep, too.  How many chickens you have ups the number of boxes you'll need, if you've got only a few chickens   Mine are a minimum foot off the floor, so that they don't get cold drafts from damp or chilly weather, especially in winter.  

The roosting perches on the other end of the coop, and across the top with about 1 foot clearance also.  The roosts are staggered so that there are choices as to perches.  The nest boxes are in a bank of the wall, with a small enclosure over it that is set up so we can isolate peeps or mothers if the need arises.  There also got several heat lamps and a thermometer in the coop. I'd make at least 4 of them so that they can choose a box and hopefully not fight too much over the favorite boxes.  Yes, there will be battles over boxes because chickens are willful.  

We use straw for the bedding, since it's dumped from the coops in our fields and straw has very little weed seed, where hay has lots of seeds in it.

Answer 3

Regarding chickens and nesting... I JUST got back from Joel Salatin's Polyface Farm Field Day. This fella knows his chickens. He said that he gives 1 nest box filled with straw for every 10 chickens he raises.

You don't want to use hay in your nestboxes. The difference between hay and straw is that hay is vegetation cut at the peak of its nutrition density. It's dried and bailed and used as a foodstuff for ruminant animals.

Straw OTOH is leftover stalks after a grain field has been harvested. Animals don't eat it since it has 0 nutritional value. That's why it makes great bedding for nests and animal stalls.