Desperately need help w/ external nest box!!

[kestrel42]

I start building it tomorrow and I'm unsure of a few things. First, yes I need an external nest box. The coop just won't work long term w/o one. I planned (and bought hardware) for one with a hinged lid, but I'm just not sure how to attach the lid in such a way that water won't come in (in Portland Oregon, so rain is our reality much of the year). The coop roof sticks out some on that side (1 1/2' or so) and it is under a tree, so there is some weather protection already in place. I had thought to attach the hinges under the plywood lid and add an upper 2x4 support inside to secure the hinges too, but when playing with this idea w/ scraps it seems like there will be a decent gap between the hinge, and siding and lid, since if the lid is flush to the siding when closed it will hit the siding and be unable to open. Seems like the same kind of problem will happen if I add the hinges to the top of the lid and secure them to the siding. Any ideas/pictures of successful external nest boxes w/ a hinged lid? HELP!

 

[kestrel42]

Perhaps I should add that I currently have 1/2" plywood as siding, and planned to lop off the bottom 18" to build the nestbox and attach it to the 2x4 frame of the coop and then reattach the remaining plywood siding once the box is built.

 

[Farmer_Dan]

pics would help, hard to visualize with your description, I like visual aids.

 

[teach1rusl]

I don't have external nest boxes. However, one thing you can do to help prevent leaks is: before nailing the siding onto the side where the nest box will be added, slip/tuck a 6 inch or so wide (as long as the nb opening) strip of vinyl, rubber, something up inside about two inches so that it will drape over a bit when the nest box is added. That way it won't matter whether the hinges go on top or inside.

 

[Zanna]

Quote:

Does this help? We are in rainy Oregon as well. One long hinge is attached on the inside of the lid with no type of waterproofing and the lid has never leaked. With the design of the tractor though, the rain blows in through the chicken wire and gets on the entrance stoop to the nestboxes and the eggs get a little dirty but not too bad. This tractor has been through 3 winters now and the hinges need replaced, they are fairly corroded as we never kept them oiled.

 

[Speed]

I have nesting boxes on the outside, if I were to reconstruct mine I would make it so the top stays closed and the back of the nesting box (from the inside of the coop it's the back, from outside the coop it's the front LOL) hinges down. But since I made mine so the top hinges open I screwed the hinges to the outside wall and nailed a rubber flap over the hinges and it hangs down over the hinged top. I ran a good heavy bead of roofing caulk to the rubber flap before I nailed it on, just to seal it up.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Build it so the back swings open instead of the top and there won't be a gap for water to enter