confused about nesting box.

[noodleman]

O.K. I didn't know if I should post this here or in the coop design section. I am confused about nesting box. I have 6 hens. I have their coop and run built and they are in it now. I need to get busy and build the nesting box. I read somewhere on BYC that for each four chickens you need 1 box. ? Thats where I'm confused. Is that one big long nesting box divided into smaller sections for each hen? Does each hen need their own small section or "box" ? Do I need 6 boxes? I guess my problem is I don't really know what is ment by the term "nesting box". Please help. I can usually figure things out, but this one has me baffled.

 

[Chicken Woman]

I have 2 hooded cat litter boxes and I put shavings in them. I have 7 laying right now but they all lay in the same one !

They like the hooded cat boxes as it gives them privacy. They are easy to empty out and was off with a little water and bleach every month or so.

Some people use milk crates but my hens prefer the hoohed cat boxes and ignor the crate.

 

[Imp]

Hens will share nesting boxes. I think with 6 hens you should have at least 2 nest boxes. I usually have 4 or 5 hens and I have 3 nests (but 3 fit so nicely in the coop). Each nest box is 1 nest. So if you go with milk crates, cat boxes, 5 gallon buckets or make your own 2 should be enough- 3 if you want to spoil them.

Imp- just added a feather bed to my nest box.

 

[noodleman]

Thank you sooooo much. I was about to build 6 boxes and that would of taken up way too much room. Thanks for clearing up the confusion.

 

[Judy]

With 6, I would build a community nesting box, wide enough for 2 chickens. They will most likely only use one box anyway.

 

[LilbitChicken]

Good question!

I was wondering that same thing....we will have....15 hens.....sooooo I will take advice from this, and not make toooo many!

 

[Judy]

The usual recommendation is one nest box for 4 to 6 chickens. I had several more hens than that, but they still all laid in one nest. Now, 4 hens stand around and do the egg song til they can all get their turn in one nest, or two get in there at once (they barely fit!)

No more of that. The nest box for the new bunch will be large enough to hold several chickens; the usual height and depth but WIDE. It seems all I read here is much the same, people with a bunch of nest boxes who find all the eggs in one nest. I actually think the individual nest boxes are a "people notion" that chickens simply do not share.