Do Chickens Prefer to Lay In Indoor or Outdoor Nest Boxes?

[hannahsocal]

I’ve seen a variety of nest box styles while perusing chicken coop ideas for my future coop build. I’ve seen several where the nest boxes are inside the coop (either externally or internally), and some where the nest boxes are outside the coop (appears to be for more free ranging plans). Obviously you don’t want your chickens to lay eggs on the ground outside in the run, but my question is, which one of these 2 styles of boxes do chickens seem to prefer, and do they have a specific kind they usually hate? Below are photos of the “inside” and “outside” nest boxes I’m referring to.

“Inside” boxes:

“Outside” nest boxes:

 

[SilverBirds]

I think the "outside" ones are just people showing off their builds before placing them inside the coop.

 

[Isabella7Storm5]

Ours are in the coop and we've got about 100 young hens free ranging. we get 2-3 dozen a day in the coop. They seem to like the boxes a lot. Although, I've never tried the outside ones

 

[CFLRanching]

So it doesn't matter if it's inside or outside, but a chicken prefers certain things when choosing a place to lay.
#1 = privacy. She wants to do her business without the other hens up in her business. Typically cool, well ventilated, and somewhere they can be secluded.
#2 = cleanliness. They like to lay in clean spots, they don't care if it's lined with straw, shavings, or dirt, just as long as there isn't a bunch of manure, they'll lay there.
#3 = where all the other girls lay. Chickens tend to lay several eggs together. So if one hen lays an egg in a certain spot, chances are the other girls are going to "flock" to that spot. Usually the popular spots are (see #1 and #2).

All the pictures above are good examples, a free range chicken if they have access to a box they may lay there, or they'll find a spot they like under cover of something and lay there. It's good to give them several options and find what they prefer best. We have a lot of boxes in our many pens, sometimes only 1 is utilized out of like 8, but the ones we freerange usually lay random places, their favorite being an old mineral tub (big red ones) that is in the shade and lined with moss.

 

[hannahsocal]

I think the "outside" ones are just people showing off their builds before placing them inside the coop.

The last one maybe but I’ve seen a ton of outside nest too! I’ll add additional photos

 

[rosemarythyme]

Either or is fine as far as the chickens are concerned, the main issues with an "outside" set up is 1) birds need access to them at first light and 2) they would be harder to protect from climate/pests.

 

[hannahsocal]

Either or is fine as far as the chickens are concerned, the main issues with an "outside" set up is 1) birds need access to them at first light and 2) they would be harder to protect from climate/pests.

Do you think building a separate “nesting box house” would be okay? Like a separate coop with no roosts, just nest boxes, away from the “sleeping coop”?

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

From the hens perspective I don’t think they care one way or another. But they will prefer a quiet, private place that is comfortable (meaning enough room). If the existing boxes are not comfy enough they will seek another nest and that may lead to unwanted egg hunts in sometimes odd places. They need room as hens sit a nest forward to back, some side to side and they stand/squat when the egg emerges. Just make it attractive to their needs then decide on style/ location as a convenience for you in collecting and cleaning. good luck!

 

[Mrs. K]

Chickens change their minds. They will have a favorite nest, everyone wants it for weeks, then, who knows? It is a different nest, or they make a nest in the bedding. Or a hidden nest. It changes.

 

[hannahsocal]

From the hens perspective I don’t think they care one way or another. But they will prefer a quiet, private place that is comfortable (meaning enough room). If the existing boxes are not comfy enough they will seek another nest and that may lead to unwanted egg hunts in sometimes odd places. They need room as hens sit a nest forward to back, some side to side and they stand/squat when the egg emerges. Just make it attractive to their needs then decide on style/ location as a convenience for you in collecting and cleaning. good luck!

Okay thank you for the advice! I have one prefab coop that is working fine for my silkies, but I need to build a bigger coop for my standard sized chickens. The issue is I designed the prefab coop with a semi permanent foundation that isn’t easily movable. So I have limited space to build the other coop. Aka I won’t have enough room for them to be all comfortable on the roosts if I add nest boxes. I’m working with a maximum 3x5 space for the coop (they free range during the day so the coop is just a little shed with roosting bars). I don’t want to cut off any more space internally by adding nest boxes, I feel like that would be too cramped. I will try the “outside” nest box idea but build a little opening and walls around it so it feels more secure for the hens. Hope it works!