advise on color for inside nest box please

[yankiwi]

After about 10 days my 4' x 4' x 4' raised coop is almost finished. My husband and I put on the nest box today, it is the Purina style which hangs off the outside. We have a window on the east side of the coop, the nest box is on the opposite wall. I have painted the inside of the coop white. Would it be a good idea to paint the inside of the nest box a dark color to help entice the birds into it?
Thanks for any idea or opinions.

 

[Judy]

Hmmm, never thought of that. It might works.

 

[waitin on eggs]

I have read before to paint them dark if you are going to paint I have 1 white bucket, 1 yellow wash tub and 1 black wash tub and they all get used, so go figure....

 

[RIBill]

The inside of mine is flat black. I happened to have some left over from painting a dark room sink almost a decade ago. Any dark color would be good, but I think external light is a more important consideration. Having the nest box(es) underneath windows instead of across from them would be best.

 

[waitin on eggs]

Quote:
I agree more important than color is external light my boxes are all under the poop boards and it is rather dark and hidden.

 

[patandchickens]

Unless your coop is *very* bright inside, I do not personally think it matters at all.

If your coop is quite bright inside, it might (maybe) be worth choosing a darker color. Might be best to avoid anything super dark though, like black (unless, as the previous poster says, that's what you happen to have leftovers of, in which case I don't think the downside is *that* big) because you kind of want to be able to SEE dirt, mites, blood, etc in some circumstances.

Honestly though I don't think it's a big deal. Whatever you have laying around is likely to be fine. Heck, even if your coop IS real bright and all yo have is white paint, you could always partly-curtain the nestboxes if need be

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[yankiwi]

Thanks for the comments. I have some forest green paint left over from painting the deck on a Hi-Lux. I might use that and maybe put some curtain strips up. I need to check the brightness in the nest box when the sun is shining in the morning. Right now it is raining.

 

[lovinlife]

I keep my chickens in an open pen (20'x20' chain link dog kennel). Their "coop" is one plywood wall with a tarp providing about 4' overhang for wet weather protection. The roosts and nesting boxes are covered, but the area is bright and airy. My nesting boxes are plastic milkcrate/file folder boxes stuffed with hay. Nothing at all dark about them. My hens have no problem laying eggs in the quite bright and airy nest boxes.

IMO, how bright or dark the nesting boxes are makes no difference. How it looks is most important to you, the owner, so paint it how you want it.

 

[flgardengirl]

You should paint it a color you like and that makes you smile when you are gathering eggs. I did mine periwinkle blue lol. The girls seem to like it.

 

[Dvmoe]

For some reason my hens like the two end boxes. No one uses the center boxes. I think I'll put studios of material for curtains in one and maybe paint one a darker color just to see if they would use one of the center ones.