Community or Separated Nesting box?

[Artistic Visionz]

I am changing the lay out in my small to medium size barn to better house my chickens and a miniature horse. I only have 4 hens right now but I plan to get more. Because I have room I was going to build a 4 stall nesting box. After looking around the BYC I found alot of people use one community box.

Should I build a 48x12 Community box or Separated the Nesting box into 4 stalls?

 

[Artistic Visionz]

I want to make the nesting box this weekend, so please let me know what you think.
Thanks.

 

[chicks4kids]

I use 8 boxes for roughly 23 hens, but made the 8 box nest box because my flock keeps growing. I believe the general "rule" is 2 boxes for the first 5 birds, then 1 additional for every 5 more.....I think.....If you build a box for every bird, you'll get boxes the never get used-they're silly that way. Out of my 8 I have 1 box that they will NOT lay in.

 

[sianara]

I have both and the hens use both

.

I have two 12" x 12" boxes and then a 12" x 24" box all side by side. My ten hens use them equally. One week they might all use the big box and then the next week they all use ONE of the single boxes, go figure. I don't care, I'm happy they use them and not lay them on the floor like they first did

At one time I had twenty hens and that's when I built the community nest. Right now I have 10 hens and 4 chicks (that will start laying this fall) so the four boxes will be enough for my 14 hens. I'll never have more than 15 hens in that coop again, ever.

I have friends that built way more boxes then they needed (like 1 for every 2 -3 hens) and then lamented that the hens only used a few.

 

[Artistic Visionz]

Thanks for the advice guy's,
I have some 4x7 sheets of wood and thought (because I'm Lazy, lol) that I could save time cutting and use the 4' side as the length of the box and make the floor, back, over hang, etc. in 4-5 cuts.
This size box is probably overkill.

I originally told my wife I only wanted 6 and now that I have 6 I want more, lol. 15-20 hens is all I would ever want.

Maybe I’ll use part of the box for enclosed storage?