# Final questions on first coop.....



## Nebraska (Aug 14, 2008)

I'm building my first coop and wanted to ask a few questions before I get too far.....









Q1 - What would be the optimal size for nesting boxes in a coop this size? The back of my coop is 48" wide and ~44" tall in back (~52" in front) so I could go for more boxes or bigger boxes but don't know which would be best......

Three across with nine evenly spaced nesting boxes that are approximately 14"-16" deep x 16" wide x 14" high.

Two across for a total of 6 nesting boxes that are 14"-16" deep x 24" wide x 14" high. If I went 24"W, I'd put two nesting bowls in each box.

**OR** - A couple shelves with three 16" boxes and the top shelf with just two 24" boxes or vice versa..... :? 

Outside of the trap door (that would be closed most of the time) and the opening to the aviary, these plans don't show any kind of ventilation.

Q2 - Considering that I'm going with a solid floor, what should I do for ventilation that won't be a problem when it comes to rain/snow/cold?

With nesting boxes covering the back, I'll have ~52"H x 48"W x32"D of open space inside the coop so.....

Q3 - How many perches should I install on the inside and how would you lay them out??

Thanks for any/all help!!!


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

PLEASE check out the nest box thread sticky in the LOFT DESIGN FORUM, it has the best nest design and size boxes for the birds.


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## learning (May 19, 2006)

Hello,

I think the biggest limitation you are going to run into is the number of birds you can fit in the loft. Judging from the dimensions you gave, I don't think more than about 3 or 4 birds could be kept there comfortably. The magic number that alot of people use is 15 cubic feet per bird. I am guessing from your picture that the loft is about 4 feet by 3 feet by 4 feet tall. If that is the case, that comes out to 48 cubic feet. That works out to a little over 3 birds.

Yes, you could put all those nest boxes and perches there, but you would be running a significant risk for health issues related to overcrowding if you started getting much over the above stated number. Some will say put more birds in but to me it would be far too big a risk.

Others may disagree, but if it were me, I would put about 6 or 8 perches in there and not even consider letting them breed.

Sorry that this is probably not what you wanted to hear.

Just my 2 cents.

Dan


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## Nebraska (Aug 14, 2008)

learning said:


> I would put about 6 or 8 perches in there and not even consider letting them breed.



Thanks for the replies. 

If you include the nest boxes, the overall coop size is ~64 cubic feet. 

I was under the impression that if the pigeons would breed, the babies would home to my coop. How else will I end up with homers??


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## learning (May 19, 2006)

Yes, any babies that are raised can be settled to your loft. My only point was that with the limited space there isn't much room for more than mom and dad. Once birds start breeding, 2 pigeons very quickly becomes 10 pigeons, which within a year can quickly become 50 or more. You would really need to manage the birds and have a place to separate the sexes.

Another option would be to get a few youngsters that can be settled to your loft. Then you could very tightly manage them to keep any young from being produced (replace any eggs with dummy eggs), to keep the population from growing. This would allow you to still have some birds you could let out to fly and enjoy.

Hope this helps,

Dan


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