Community Nest Box Question

[Shkittles]

i have a question about the community next boxes. if one hen went broody would the other hens try to steal her eggs or would they leave her alone? i'm also wandering what size next boxes due to the largest chickens i have right now are standard Cochins. Also does anyone have plans for nest boxes where the opening is inside the coop but the box is outside?

ETA: if i had more than one nest box and one went broody would i still have to seperate her from the others?

 

[ams3651]

As for the broody part, if you have a hen go broody on the nest you would need to move her to her own nest with the eggs. A broody box can be a dog carrier or just a sectioned off corner but she needs her own space so the other chickens dont lay when she gets up to eat or break the eggs. As for the size of the nest box I dont know for cochins but I have seen several types of the nest you mentioned, Im sure you will hear from someone who knows.

 

[Agape Builder]

Bantams can probably work with a 10" x 10" box, 12" x 12" or 14" for standards, and somewhat larger for large breeds. Here are some pics of the nest boxes I just built yesterday. They are 15 1/2" W x 16" D x 16" tall for the big birds, the little birds, and everything in between.

Sometimes two smaller birds like to climb into one box together, so I made them large enough for that. I added the strip at the top to make the entrance hole a little smaller to make the boxes feel more cozy to the birds.

I also built the walkways / perches large (they extend out from the boxes 12") for the comfort of the birds. The bottoms of each box are removable for cleaning purposes. I am going to go get some bedding for them this evening.

As for the standard cochins, they can get huge! (Like 11 to 13 pounds plus a ton of fluff.) They would do better with a large nest box like what I built.

A good broody hen will sit on her eggs and protect them. No other chicken will mess with a serious broody hen.

 

[Agape Builder]

!Shkittles! :

Also does anyone have plans for nest boxes where the opening is inside the coop but the box is outside?

That would be simple... Just build the boxes on the outside of the building facing inwards with holes cut in the side of the building for the hens to get in. I would extend the top box much higher than the inside hole to allow a sloped hinged sectioned roof so that rain would run off of the top of the outside, no other birds would roost on it, and you could lift up each section to reveal then nests below and their corresponding eggs. I would keep the roof sections limited to one or two nest boxes at a time, though, because you don't want to be getting eggs out of one nest box while having the hens fly out of the other nest boxes.

As an alternative to having the roofs hinged, you could also place moveable panels on the rear of the boxes so that you could see and reach into each nest to retrieve eggs from the outside.

However, you make it, make sure that you have the roof lids doors secured well so that smart predators like raccoons can't open them at night and get into the coop through your access ports.

!Shkittles! :

ETA: if i had more than one nest box and one went broody would i still have to seperate her from the others?

Not necessarily. The broody hen would usually protect her eggs. However, it might be advantageous to do so, especially to relieve her of some stress and to make it where she could get up for a few minutes to eat and stretch her legs without worrying about the eggs or chicks. It all depends on whether or not you have the capability to do so.​