Anyone use milk crates for nesting boxes?

[ehoneybee]

I had DH screw 2 milk crates to the wall of our new coop (old shed we repurposed) and had him add an extra 4" of wood with a lip on it to keep the hay and eggs in. Anyone do something similar?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I've used them a few times. I've also used 5 gallon buckets but I prefer a purpose made box.
How is it working for you?

 

[ehoneybee]

I've used them a few times. I've also used 5 gallon buckets but I prefer a purpose made box.
How is it working for you?

I'll find out today! We've always just used the prefab coops so I wanted something similar to that. I've also seen old cat litter bins used, litter boxes, buckets, all sorts of things, but this what we had in hand and I like the idea.

 

[Homesteadermomma6382]

I have used them for years. My younger birds have pirched on them and my layers love them for nesting. One of the best options in my opinion

 

[aart]

I've used them a few times. I've also used 5 gallon buckets but I prefer a purpose made box.
How is it working for you?

Ditto Dat......both are kind of too small.
Tho many use them successfully.

 

[ehoneybee]

I have used them for years. My younger birds have pirched on them and my layers love them for nesting. One of the best options in my opinion

Could I see a pic of them in use? I think we have to rethink the installation.

 

[ehoneybee]

Ditto Dat......both are kind of too small.
Tho many use them successfully.

They are small but I have 5 hens on the small side so they may like that. My other 4 big girls might like the double crate we have underneath it. Yesterday, they laid on the floor and one in the run but I had no boxes yet and the floor is hay (I usually use wood shavings), which is what's in their boxes so that's confusing them. I use straw in the run so I'm going to get that for the coop floor.

 

[Homesteadermomma6382]

We arent using this coop at the moment so we have taken down most of the boxes. We are rebuilding. Here is a picture of the 2 still hanging. We keep them at various levels. Most of the time 2 on each wall but generally they all use one. The black one has always been the most popular. They are on the back wall of the coop we built in the barn

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I've always liked nest entrances to be about 12-18" above the coop floor with a perch in front so they can look into them before stepping in. If they have to fly up into them, there is always the chance of breaking eggs. You can go as high as 2.5' if you won't have hens hatching chicks. Chicks can usually get back into a nest that is a foot or so off the floor, especially with a good layer of pine shavings on the floor.
If one places nests too high, it may be too enticing for hens to start sleeping in them.

 

[ehoneybee]

We arent using this coop at the moment so we have taken down most of the boxes. We are rebuilding. Here is a picture of the 2 still hanging. We keep them at various levels. Most of the time 2 on each wall but generally they all use one. The black one has always been the most popular. They are on the back wall of the coop we built in the barn

So they're not too small that way? I'd love to attach them upright but they seem a few inches to small. Here's our set up