Nest Boxes; why do we make a sitting hens job so difficult?

very helpful

Useful information as I work on my new coop and the intended built-in broody facility.

Just binge read all of your articles. Gave me so much to think about...so much new information! Thank you!

So interesting. If you keep your birds at the balcony in cardboard boxes with sand and wood savings as a nest, with no garden, would a luffa sponge buried in a pot with grass allowed to grow on it, could be used as a base ground? Or their nails will be tangled?

Thanks for a great article! As a newbie, I was wondering what the best nesting materials were. Your observations and conclusions make very good sense. I really appreciate you taking the time and sharing this information. I just put together a nestbox condo - 3 in a row - built with plywood. I think I’ll find some shallow containers (maybe dish pans) to fill with a piece of sod a few inches thick, and put one of these in each box. Mahalo for all your help!

Interesting reading!

There is a great deal of thought and logic put into this experiment. Thank you for documenting the process so well! My coop is scheduled for an update, next Spring, so I will definitely be incorporating some of these changes. Nature truly does know best - and we would do well to imitate whenever possible!

My flock has no rooster and I am unlikely to ever have a hen incubate eggs. That doesn't mean I am not curious about the subject, especially after reading various hatch-a-long threads and discovering that incubator success rate is a lot lower than I'd realized.

Thank you for this article Shadrach. It really illustrates that natural is best and satisfies my curiosity.

Thanks! This all makes good sense!

Very nice work @shadrach.

Thanks for this article and your insight. I really like that you experimented with different things and shared your experience and observations. I've been looking for a reason to ditch the nest boxes and I'm more convinced it's the right thing to do.

This has been a very interesting read. I have been trying to figure out a good isolation coop for my broodies coming next spring and I own a bottomless, hinged top 'coop' that is ideally sized for a hen to be able to walk about and do her thing while sitting so I think I will use this on bare ground in the enclosure (has mesh buried 6 inches below the decomposed granite base) so she can build to suit, her own nest! Thank you for taking the time to write this article!

This is a great way to learn how to help a broody hen hatch her babies in a safe and more natural environment. I always wondered why my girls scratched down to the base of the box and now I know. Better yet, I have an idea on how to make the hatch rate higher with less stress on mama hen.
Thanks for sharing, can't wait to read your book.

Thanks, Shadrack! This article has prompted me to change the design of my nest boxes when I do my shed to coop conversion this spring. Anything to make my chickens lives more natural and enjoyable.

Great article. I'm definitely showing this to my husband. We are retiring the incubator and letting nature do her thing. I have often wondered of a better set up than raised nesting boxes

I'm planning to let my (constant) broody hatch again this coming year. Last spring "we" only hatched 2 out of 10 eggs. I believe that was due to my interference, as I'm pretty certain she instinctively knew what she was doing. This coming spring I will use this information to set up an area for her nest and then I'll just leave it to Lucy.

Lots of interesting information,
You are a wealth of knowledge ... who knew??

Good luck with your book , if it reads like this article you will sell lots!