Advice on Poop Proofing Nesting Boxes. Photos Attached

[MrsAuberry00]

The coop is handmade. After a few years of keeping chickens we've learned the design could have been better...like having another foot's width on each side behind where the perches are located. Rebuilding isn't an option right now so I'm looking for suggestions on how to keep any loose poop from shooting in and on the nesting boxes.

 

[PirateGirl]

What if you add curtains to your nest boxes?

 

[MrsAuberry00]

What if you add curtains to your nest boxes?

That's a possibility. I could at least wash them when they're poop covered. LOL Do you yourself have curtains? Can anyone give a little insight as to how they affect the temperature within the nesting boxes in the summer or does it make any difference at all?

 

[DellaMyDarling]

One could simply add a board, slight angle, across on that 2x2 over the boxes.

 

[Harmony Fowl]

I can think of a few solutions. You could decrease the size of the opening in a couple ways. You could decrease the height of the opening by adding lumber across the top especially, but possibly a little at the bottom, too. The chickens could still hop over it and a smaller opening will allow less poop in. You could also maybe halve the size of each opening by putting a piece of plywood or something similar to form a wall, cutting the opening in half width-ways. The chickens would probably like that, tucking themselves in behind a wall, stepping in and then stepping behind the wall to lay. Another idea would be to create some smaller boxes, ones with a least one closed side to face out and a lid, and put them within those larger spaces but not facing out. The chicken steps into the nesting space, then steps into the smaller box to lay. That should be appealing to them, too, but there's always the possibility that they would just lay in the remainder of the larger space.

It's a struggle to figure out what will work best. I've remade mine a dozen times in a couple years. I just tried again recently, only to put everything back the way I had it before.

 

[PirateGirl]

I do not have curtains, but I can remove my nest boxes and hose them out if needed. Also I don’t live somewhere with hot summers, it’s snowing again as I type!

 

[MrsAuberry00]

I can think of a few solutions. You could decrease the size of the opening in a couple ways. You could decrease the height of the opening by adding lumber across the top especially, but possibly a little at the bottom, too. The chickens could still hop over it and a smaller opening will allow less poop in. You could also maybe halve the size of each opening by putting a piece of plywood or something similar to form a wall, cutting the opening in half width-ways. The chickens would probably like that, tucking themselves in behind a wall, stepping in and then stepping behind the wall to lay. Another idea would be to create some smaller boxes, ones with a least one closed side to face out and a lid, and put them within those larger spaces but not facing out. The chicken steps into the nesting space, then steps into the smaller box to lay. That should be appealing to them, too, but there's always the possibility that they would just lay in the remainder of the larger space.

It's a struggle to figure out what will work best. I've remade mine a dozen times in a couple years. I just tried again recently, only to put everything back the way I had it before.

I did consider putting a strip of plywood along the bottom of the nesting box openings to make them a bit smaller. Good ideas, thanks!

 

[MrsAuberry00]

I do not have curtains, but I can remove my nest boxes and hose them out if needed. Also I don’t live somewhere with hot summers, it’s snowing again as I type!

I wash mine, too, but it seems like every other day the same hen has the squirts and just blasts everything. That's another topic in another forum.

 

[aart]

One could simply add a board, slight angle, across on that 2x2 over the boxes.

That would probably be the simplest solution.

The coop is handmade.

Is coop a walk in?
How many birds do you have?
How long are roosts?
I love the roost hanger brackets

 

[rosemarythyme]

One could simply add a board, slight angle, across on that 2x2 over the boxes.

I also like this suggestion. Should be easy to make and install and clean (just scrape off any poop with a paint scraper).