nest boxes

We just finished building our rollaway nest boxes. Our black australorps, which aren't supposed to be laying until the end of the month, started laying early. They have been laying their eggs on the coop floor despite having ready nest boxes. We used training eggs in our other coop but they...

Hi everyone! Long time reader, first time poster here. Thank you to all at BYC for the forum and insights. We have three laying hens who are entering their first spring as real layers…supposedly! I got them as fall pullets/young hens and don’t know the breed. In March, between the three of them...

I need some help modifying my nesting boxes to encourage my ladies to use them. They are currently laying in a little nest they made under their stairs. The current nesting boxes are not ideal, especially in the current very cold winter conditions. They are exterior to the coop and have a top...

Hi, I made a movable tracker/coop, and still need to build the nest boxes. The coop is 4 feet wide, and I was thinking of 1 of the following 3 options for nest boxes: 1) A double set of 4 set of boxes ( 2 high, 4 wide) for 8 individual nest boxes 2) Bottom row 3 nest boxes with middle a...

Flock of five (females in front) Our happy flock - now down to three, at 20 weeks - one dark and one light female and a beautiful green-headed drake! — Hi all! As of this weekend, our flock of 5 (3 of which were male) became an elegant flock of 3, with a picture perfect male and two females...

Today we found our first egg from one of our 4 RIR hens. We have two nesting boxes and we have one blocked and the other open. The one that is open has two ceramic eggs in it . Should we now open up the other box and take the ceramic eggs out? Two of the hens have very red crops and other two...

First of all, there is no way I am going to build a coop or run for my girls. So, I have spent much time researching chicken coops and saving up my money so I can buy one. I am looking for something sturdy and something that will be big enough for at least 10 chickens. So, I saved up for one...

Hi Everyone! These are interior shots of a used coop I purchased last year to move our existing flock into. This spring I added 9 standard sized hens to the flock, and started them in this coop while the main flock stayed next door in the original, smaller coop. All chickens have been in and...

I have three chickens, which I've had for about a year now and they have always laid in one of two nesting boxes. They always lay in just one box, never laid in the other box. All three generally lay every day so after hearing a lot of squawking today from my brown leghorn I went to check for an...

So my girls have been laying since about September, and except for the very first couple eggs they have all been using the nest boxes perfectly. The last couple days however, I have found 3 eggs on the floor right in the middle of the coop! It has been from different chickens(different color...

So I will admit I wasn't paying close attention to my nests after my recent loss of my two favorite boys over vacation and so we're now on what I think, is day 13 or so? Of incubation of my Figurita hen to my random mystery Cock, he's a short face SOMETHING lol but he's quite sturdy compared to...

So Idk if im the only one who does this. But living on acreage and forest whith some flighty breeds I've begun setting up 'hidden' nesting area's. We have 4 nest boxes to 9 hens in the coop, but there's another 3 wood boxes on rotation around our property for use as well. I've personally found...

Have any of you tried any of the nesting box pad products for your nest boxes as opposed to using loose bedding (I’ve been using pine shavings) - loose bedding that your hens just kick out of the boxes until the floors of the boxes are bare? I’m looking at the Petmate Excelsior brand nest box...

Should I use screened (1/2" or 1/4" hardware cloth) or solid (plywood) bottoms in our nest boxes? I understand the rationale for screened one is to allow poop/dust to fall through and only good bedding to remain in the box. Does it really work or does it only ad limitations on what to use as...

Alright my chicken friends, 23 Buff Orpington pullets, 2 Buff Orpington cockerel, they are all 18 weeks old, I found two eggs in the flowerbed!! Yayyy!! So, should I put straw or shavings in the laying box??

So i am repurposing some dog nesting boxes that were on our property when we moved in 2 years ago. So they are much bigger then they need to be but the were clean and in great shape sonit seemed silly not to use them. Stacked them in the coop and it just took up so much floor space that i knew i...