Bucket nest boxes?

[Badhbh]

I'm putting the coop up Saturday. I'm trying to come up with ideas for nest boxes that don't involve cutting and building a billion little boxes. I remember someone saying something about using big 5 gallon buckets. Here's my idea- I put a row of 3 buckes about 6-12" off the floor for the silkies. Resting on top of that are two more buckets, and on top of that, one bucket. I'm going to connect them all, I just don't know how. In the end it would wind up looking like:
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Bad? Good? Stupid idea? They'd all be screwed into the wall.

 

[karri25]

Sounds good to me. I use mikl crates screwed into the wall. The ideas seem very similar and mine work out just fine
Good luck!

 

[Badhbh]

Wow, that came out really crooked. lol. You get the idea tho.

 

[Badhbh]

I was thinking of milk crates, but I don't have any lying around.

 

[Wildsky]

I have two storage type totes, screwed a piece of wood on the front (its turned on its side) works like a charm!

 

[5.0 Clunker]

Milk cates work really good I will post some pics of mine tomorrow

 

[Jayare's Chicks]

I was at Walmart last night and in the housewares area I saw some 12 and 18 quart tote like things. They were with the dish drainers. The prices on them were $1.38 and $2.45 or something close to those prices. I was wondering if they would work for nest boxes if you just cut down one of the front sides some so the hens could get in. Just leave an edge towards the bottem so the eggs don't roll out. There is no lid but don't know if that would be a problem. Maybe put a shelf above the ones on the bottom so you could make a second level and so on.

What does anybody think about that?

Jayare

 

[Oblio13]

I put the lids on 5-gallon buckets and cut entrance holes in them. The hens didn't use them. I made beautiful boxes out of plywood. The hens didn't use them. I made another box out of plywood, perfectly sanded and sealed, a work of art. The hens have been laying between a bale of hay and an old sign.

 

[patandchickens]

Jayare's Chicks :

I was at Walmart last night and in the housewares area I saw some 12 and 18 quart tote like things.

For the first, oh, 6-8 months I used a blue plastic Walmart tote like you're describing and it worked really well. It may have been bigger than the ones you are talking about, I don't know and am too lazy to pop out to find it and look at the label which is probably still on it

-- but it's maybe 16" x 14" x 12".

Initially I cut a chicken sized hole in one of the narrow ends and set it upright on the floor, with its lid on and a brick on the lid to keep the whole thing from falling over when a chicken hopped onto it. They used it just fine, and it was handy to be able to just pop the lid off to collect any eggs that'd been laid way to the back... but the brick got really pooey and couldn't be cleaned very well. Finally, after much more time than it'd have taken anyone else to figure this out

, I removed the lid and turned it upside-down on the floor. More stable so it did not require a brick, and thus more hygeinic. Although more of a nuisance to collect eggs from.

Although the nest box / droppings board / roost combo that I am now using works MUCH better, I really would recommend the plastic tote box approach if someone just needs something to use and needs it now. I kept mine and it turns out to be useful, placed in a large wire dog crate, as a nest box and shelter for a 'hospital ward' -- came in handy when one of my hens developed problems and had to be isolated.

So, I'd say you may not want to keep it forever, but for now, it is an easy and workable fix.

Pat​

 

[tnkinhunting]

I use empty plastic kitty litter buckets - they work great! Where the lid lifts, cut that off and you are left with about 4" of lid to keep the straw in the bucket. That's Tidy Cat, not all have those lids.