5-gallon buckets for nests

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usalbrechts

usalbrechts

Songster
12 Years
May 22, 2007
121
0
129
south east MI
I am so very new at this. I have 12- 4 week old girls moving in to their coop soon. I have read 2 different places about how people went to the trouble of making nest boxes and their chicks would rather use a 5 gallon bucket full of pine shavings to lay eggs in. I am thinking "sure would be easy to mount a few on the wall somehow and save hubby from some labor!" Any advice on if this is actually a good idea or not would be LOVELY!!
 
I don't see why not all you can do is try it out and see if they will use them. In the beginning mine used old dresser drawers as nest boxes and my bantams liked a covered kitty litter box filled with hay.
 
im with you, ivy....the easier, the better. i would just make sure its up off the ground and has a little lip. we mainers would call you 'wicked thrifty', usal!
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I"ve used them in past. Easy to clean as I made a rack for them(they sat at a 45 degree angle) and just dumped them every so often when the straw was getting nasty. Need plenty of bedding as sides are slick.
 
My neighbor has about 6 hens and she uses three 5 gallon buckets. They seem to work fine for her. I'm going to use jumbo storage baskets from the dollar store. After spending a grand total of about $600 (chicks, netting, coop, ect.) I say the "cheeper" the better.
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Thanks for the thoughts! I am going to plow ahead with the "bucket" idea and see how it goes! Even with a used shed from my mom's house, we are spending quite a chunk of change on this coop ( so my husband keeps reminding me!).
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would you use the entire bucket? Or cut it in half or what? Explain please. I was thinking you coulc cut it in half lengthwise and put the open end against the bottom of the other piece and then that open end against the coop so you could have larger nests? You could also screw a divider in there I guess and make four nests from one bucket if you needed them. They would be easy to clean too. I am looking for some money saving ways to get a coop up and running.
 
I've used buckets and just put a brick in front of the bucket so they can't kick shavings out. Then, I put another brick on each side to keep it from rolling. I'm sure the hens wouldn't be thrilled if their nest starting moving!
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Ok so you lay it on it's side? I was imaging that thing upright and them laying in it. But I could see laying it on its side. You could probably attach a block on each side to keep it stationary. Drill a hole through the bucket and the block and put a bolt through it and a nut. That would keep it from going anywhere. I was thinking of doing the same but cutting the top off but then I guess it would not be very dark and nest like. I may have to think about that. I need some cheap ideas and it would be so easy to clean up. Great idea. Anyone else have any money saving ideas?

marie
 

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