Diy nesting boxes

OK so I have 12 nesting boxes 6 on each side one side is not being used its old headboards with storage type things that I thought it would be nice nesting boxes, apparently my hens didn't think so, it is too shallow and narrow for my hens, so I'm thinking of getting rid of it. Any diy ( do it yourself) ideas I can do too replace the old nesting boxes? (Please include pics if possible)

Thank you!

How many chickens do you have? Maybe you don't need 12 boxes.

One nest per 3-5 birds should work out.
I like larger nests..14" x 14" x 16"....with a 10" diameter entrance

Lots of ideas here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/41108/show-us-your-nest-boxes-ingenous-design-post-it-here

Leigti said:

How many chickens do you have? Maybe you don't need 12 boxes.

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I have 23 hens I will be getting 12 more plus 2 silkies. So I'll have a total of 37 hens (BTW some are old so they don't lay as much)

aart said:

One nest per 3-5 birds should work out. I like larger nests..14" x 14" x 16"....with a 10" diameter entrance Lots of ideas here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/41108/show-us-your-nest-boxes-ingenous-design-post-it-here

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Thanks!

There are several threads on here on the topic with photos. Here is another.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-your-creative-nesting-boxes/80#post_12395882

It’s not just number of nests that is important. Larger nests accommodate more hens. Your Silkies can’t fly so they need to be able to access the nests too. I don’t know how big your nests are or what kind of access your Silkies have. A few more nests is probably a good idea.

Something you will probably notice, most seem to like to lay where another hen is laying. It’s not unusual for me to find three hens in the same nest at the same time with other nests empty, or another hen impatiently pacing and waiting for one hen to get out of a nest so she can go in, again with other nests empty. Then there was the time I had three different nests, each with two hens in it. And I’ve seen two nests each with three hens with other nests empty. It’s not unusual for the majority of eggs to be in one nests. Sometimes that’s my top left one, sometimes the bottom right one, sometimes another one.

Fake eggs can help. I use golf balls but others use wooden or ceramic eggs or even plastic Easter eggs. One forum member likes to move the fake eggs around and can get them to lay in different nests that way. Another forum member said her hens would not use any nest until she removed the fake eggs. Each flock is different. Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason from one flock to another.

I do use golf balls, and I don't have my silkies yet either, I was thinking of making a ramp for the (future) silkies, but I do have nesting boxes on the ground. (Plus I have no wood for a ramp lol)

I was digging through my shed/coop today, I found a glass pot! Besides planting plants, is there anyway I could use this for my hens? I don't think it'd be good for feed. Any ideas??

aart said:

One nest per 3-5 birds should work out. I like larger nests..14" x 14" x 16"....with a 10" diameter entrance Lots of ideas here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/41108/show-us-your-nest-boxes-ingenous-design-post-it-here

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Is that a roosting bar in front of the nesting boxes?