nest boxes

[Saltiena]

for 25 chicks (not all hen, not sure yet) how many 12"x12" nest boxes would i need, i have a roost, but my questions are,
#1-how many nest boxes do i need
#2- how long does the roost have to be
#3-will some hens lay (sleep) in the nest boxes, will some sleep on the floor or would that be bad?
#4-how big can the boxes be, i know that if i have a 12"x12" then 1 or 2 (maybe?)bantams could fit in the box but is that information correct??

 

[nuchickmama]

We have 10 nesting boxes for 15 adult hens. They only use 4 of them most of the time. One area of our coop only has nesting boxes. Another room has 5 nesting boxes, and they roost in there on poles, but do lay eggs by morning before we open the coop doors. We have 35 babies from 11/2 weeks old to almost 4 weeks old, so we may need all of the nesting boxes. I doubt it though because they seem to all lay in the same boxes!!! I see you are in Peach Bottom. I lived in Wrightsville before moving south. Used to hunt around your area.

 

[Saltiena]

thank you, i still would like, around 10000000 opinions, just to be sure (you can see how perinoid i am)it is nice to know that you relize peachbottom exists, no one seems to know where it is

thanks for your info that means i would need around 6- 10 which is better than 25 (how many i thought i needed) thankyou

 

[Newchickenmom&kids]

They say for every three birds you need a nesting box.

 

[Llysse]

Your roost should give each hen 10 inches of roosting space, and you could probably use 5 or 6 nest boxes for 25 hens. You don't really want them sleeping in the nest boxes, because then they will poo in them and the eggs will get dirty.

I like this kind of nest box:

You could probably make the same sort of thing with a small plastic bin. Make sure to put in ventilation holes. They're very easy to clean. I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but the way this one works, it can lift off for easy cleaning. The cheapest place I've found to buy these is at Nasco. McMurray charges an arm and a leg for them.

You want the nest boxes to be lower than your roost, so your hens, again, won't roost in your boxes in get them all dirty. I actually painted the inside of the wall and egg door behind my nest box a dark color to make it more attractive for the hens to lay in. (They like dark, out of the way places.)

 

[Saltiena]

mine are bantams, do they still need 10 in for A roost?

 

[Llysse]

Sorry, Saltiena--I totally overlooked that yours were bantams.

Storey's says 8 inches per bird and at least one inch thick for bantams. Also, you can house bantams (according to Storey's) at 2 sq feet per bird.

Have I totally confused you yet?!!! I'm sure if you had teeny-tiny bantams like Seramas you wouldn't need 8 inches... it's just a rule of thumb. Still, it's better to have more space than you need than not enough. After all, if you have extra space, you can always add MORE CHICKENS!!!!!

 

[SunChick]

Lysse,

That is a totally cool looking nest box. Where can I find one like that?

 

[mudhen]

Saltiena my hens are standards and I will have 18 in my coop, so I put up 14 nests.

Lysse, that box looks so cool!

 

[Saltiena]

thanks Llysse, no im not COMPLETLY confused, but i get what you mean about the rule of thumb, i'm thinking of using the back wall for 8 nest boxes (12"x12" for 25 banties) and the other 2 1/2 walls for roosts, i think thet that will be plenty, and if not, i can always add another shelf in the barn that is with our house, it has hundreds of piles of useable wood so i can always add more, thanks