Community nest box

[LD Jackson]

I am still thinking through how I am going to build my nest boxes. I wonder if anyone here has used a community nest box? I thought about building one the size of four nests and leaving the dividers out.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Lots of people do. Here is just one thread I found when I did a search in coops:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=173767&p=1

Check out post #25 in particular.

 

[greenbottle27]

I believe my next box would be considered communal

it is 3'x12"x12" (approximate). Don't know how it'll work cause I do't have any chicks yet, but it is what I'm gonna run with

I might need a little lip to keep the stuffings in, but that is an easy add on.... to the honey-do list

O

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Ours is a community box the size of 3 nest boxes. There is a small divider with a U shaped door way to make a slightly single box incase anyone just has to sit. Otherwise they all share and it works well for us.

 

[LD Jackson]

Well, he who loves to search the forum failed to do so this time. Didn't even think about, to be honest.

Most of the ones I have seen mentioned have flaps over the opening. I do not plan to use a flap. It will be the length of four nests and open across the front.

 

[Kudzu]

We have five hens that had the run of 8 nest boxes; we saw we did not need all them. Closed 4 and they have access to 4, nine times out of ten they lay in one box. Every now and then we find a stray, but it is always in the same stray nest. So, and I am no eggspert, but I think one large box would be hunky dory.

 

[truebuilt76]

I choose to do a community nesting box and IMO it's the only way to go. I have one mothering hen that will sit on the eggs all day long. This is fantastic if you have any hens that tend to be egg-eaters. Because of a box with no dividers she is able to move the eggs into a pile. I have found her sitting on as many as 7-8 eggs at one time.

I have 11 hens. The nesting box is 48"x14".

 

[Fur & Feathers]

I am still thinking through how I am going to build my nest boxes. I wonder if anyone here has used a community nest box? I thought about building one the size of four nests and leaving the dividers out.

yep,mine is a community nest box [if click on 'my coop' will see the outside of the coop/run],it came with partitions but the cochins had all grown up very close and they showed which option they clearly prefered,out the partitions came.
use a nestbox which always has the option of partitions being slid back in if the chickens ever prefer being seperate.

 

[farmerfogg]

I have noticed that my girl's tend to take turns laying their eggs in the same box. We have two next boxes, but they tend to only use one.

 

[Vicky2479]

Mine all lay in the same box so I can't see any reason why a communal box would work, in fact I may take the dividers out of mine and see what happens, I wonder if it would stop the hen that stands there singing the egg song till she it is her turn.