Chicken nest boxes

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Lucyad

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My project chicken is moving on nicely, with coop built, fencing contractors coming in to build the run tomorrow, and hopefully chickens arriving on Wednesday or saturday.

Latest question though - what do those who have coops built from huts or ther outbuildings) do for nexting boxes. Neighbour who seems to have the best set-up uses big open fronted platick boxes (the type that stack). He has 3, for his 12 hens. I will have 4 hens and managed to buy the last box from B&Q (80 litre) but they are out of stock and no-one seems to sell them anymore. Any suggestions? Ideally I wanted 4, as that would fit right along the coop.

They are to sit on the floor directly below a shelf, with a parch on the other side of the shed.
 
Lucyad said:
My project chicken is moving on nicely, with coop built, fencing contractors coming in to build the run tomorrow, and hopefully chickens arriving on Wednesday or saturday.

Latest question though - what do those who have coops built from huts or ther outbuildings) do for nexting boxes. Neighbour who seems to have the best set-up uses big open fronted platick boxes (the type that stack). He has 3, for his 12 hens. I will have 4 hens and managed to buy the last box from B&Q (80 litre) but they are out of stock and no-one seems to sell them anymore. Any suggestions? Ideally I wanted 4, as that would fit right along the coop.

They are to sit on the floor directly below a shelf, with a parch on the other side of the shed.
Click to expand...

You could just use a cardboard box, on it's side, cheaper to just bin and change as needed, or just knock some ply together. We had a beautiful joiner made ply set but I don't think I would ever run to that expense again. Ours now use an old sink that just happens to be in the building they are in, they love it.
 
How many use 1 sink? I wonder if mine could just take turns in 1 box (2 chickens would fit in it no problem).

I liked the idea of plastic as it is really easy to clean properly (this for the chicken coop which has full rubber horse matting!)
 
Any box with ie some shavings in about 4 inches deep of shavings, the box doesnt have to be deep but enough to have the shavings below the lip of the box to stop the eggs rolling out and even if you put ie four nesting boxes they might all pick one to lay in. Mine hog the nest box and huddle up. It can be a very busy place!!

Those old wooden fruit crates are good. My neighbour has these on a shelf in her shed for them to lay in. I have one of those nice eglu cubes and eglu. They will make a little hollow in shavings and sometimes bury the eggs a bit.

Good luck very worthwhile pets.
 
My parents keep chickens, and Dad built a lovely set of boxes, enough for all the hens to have one.

But the hens have since taken to all laying the same box, so the others are wasted. they almost form a queue around lunchtime and lay one after the other, and boy do they make a racket, particularly if one of them is taking her time!

The eggs are so much better fresh out the shed too :) Enjoy!
 
If I can't get anything plastic in time sounds like a carboard box, maying with the front upstand lowered, could give them another option, until I see whether they like to share next boxes or not then?

One more thing I still need to do is make them a dust bath - is it fine soil I put in this? Doesn;t it turn to mud when it rains? (bearing in mind I am in West of Scotland).
 
You'll need to put sand in your dust bath as otherwise you're right - it just turns into a mud pool! You can get sand in bags from any builders merchant/DIY shop but the finer grain the better. If you want to make it a Ritz Hotel for chickens then you can build a little roof on 4 legs to go over it so the little lovelies don't get so wet! They'll love you forever! Enjoy!
 
Ah ha! I have built a substantial 'porch' for the coop, so they can come out and get fresh air but not get wet - it has a felted roof and sides up to chicken head height (so they can see out) to prevent wind blown rain, apart from the most sheltered elevation which is fully open. I can put the dust bath in there in rainy weather! I have previously been told not to use sand, however? Particularly not builders sand. Wonder if other types of sand are suitable? (trip to the beach in order?). I have also been told that ash is very good to use, but I don't have a real fire.
 
Lucyad said:
How many use 1 sink? I wonder if mine could just take turns in 1 box (2 chickens would fit in it no problem).

I liked the idea of plastic as it is really easy to clean properly (this for the chicken coop which has full rubber horse matting!)
Click to expand...


The 5 big girls that can get up there use the sink, the 4 silkies tend to use a bay under the stone shelf but they never used the nest boxes even though they were lower down. Even when we had a set of boxes it was only ever a couple or 3 that were used to lay and that was amongst 30 chucks.
 
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