Roll-Away Laying Box Insert to Thwart the Egg-Eaters

[greengardenvienna]

I thought I'd post this for others who have had trouble with egg eaters and all the usual advice hasn't worked. This design is tried and true-- it works. I retrofitted my existing laying boxes but the dimensions would be better if you build your box to accommodate the insert.

This design assumes your boxes are accessible from the back or the top. You will need to build or retrofit your boxes to be at least three inches deeper than normal, to accommodate the baffle and “egg drop” area at the back. The height should be about three inches higher than normal, to accomdate the height of the gradient platform. The width does not need to change.

The laying platform gradient should be steep enough that the egg rolls slowly and consistently, but not so steep that the hens don’t want to use it. You can experiment with the height by using long screws as “legs” so the back end of the platform can be raised or lowered in small increments

The baffle needs to be just high enough for an egg to pass under. If the space is too high the hens may be able to poke their heads into the drop area to get at the eggs.

Line the “drop area” with bubble foam or some other cushiony but thin layer that can be removed and washed. You can use wood shavings if they don’t raise the eggs high enough for the hens to get at them.

The laying platform needs to be smooth and scrubbable. Make a “lip” at the entrance to keep out bedding and debris.

 

[gryeyes]

I JUST built a rollaway laying box, based on plans provided by Opa here on BYC. I think your insert is a great idea for those rear access nest boxes already in place. Opa's plans pretty much use the same concepts: inclined nest box "bottom," back curtain baffle, space for collecting eggs.

Here's what mine looks like popped through the wall of the coop I'm building. I'm awfully proud of it. Of course, you can't see the interior workings of the inclined laying area, back curtain baffle, etc.

Now I have to figger out a way to add a perch in front of the nest box, inside the coop, for the hens to jump onto to get INTO the nestboxes. Hmmmmm.