Do you think my nesting boxes need a landing bar?

[venymae]

These are my boxes. They are about 18-24" about the floor. The girls dont like them I have heavy breeds (buff orpington) and they will be getting curtains this weekend. Should they have a landing bar like the one shown in the drawing below? Thanks!

 

[rjohns39]

It's a nice feature and I prefer the design where you can lift it up and close off the box at night. That will give you cleaner eggs.

 

[mechanic57]

Landing bar will make it easier for them to step into the box. Harder for them to get into it if they have to land right in the opening.

 

[ChickenMammX4]

IMO, yes. Your larger birds will appreciate it.

 

[blackdog043]

Yes, they might like them better then too, because it will be easier for them to use. You should also have a board across the front to hold your nest material in.

 

[Nupe]

You might also want to consider a 3-4 inch lip in front of your boxes to keep the hay in.

 

[aart]

These are my boxes. They are about 18-24" about the floor. The girls dont like them I have heavy breeds (buff orpington) and they will be getting curtains this weekend. Should they have a landing bar like the one shown in the drawing below? Thanks!

I'd a add landing bar(perch) and front lips 3-4" high....forget the curtains they don't need them, those nests are cozy enough. How wide and tall are the nests?

 

[mechanic57]

They made a good point about the front edge lip. The birds tend to move the stuff around before they lay eggs. They will also roll other eggs to one side to make room for themselves to add their eggs. You don't want them to knock stuff out of the box.

The curtain is not a necessary but it darkens the nest box which helps create a secluded area for them to lay their eggs, which is what the naturally look for, vs a well lit high traffic area. I create curtains for my nest boxes but it cost $0.00. I simply cut a section of feed bag into a rectangle that's the same width as the opening of the box. Cut vertical strips into it and staple it up.

 

[peterlund]

As aart implied what us the size of tge ooening? From the photo it looks tight.... like 9 inches wide.
Ditto on the "ditch the curtains" opinion. And just to say it out loud, sometimes they just wont lay in the nest boxes..... period!

 

[venymae]

I did make the curtains! Out of old feedbags and some thumbtacks I had laying around, they look nice. lol. Thank you all for your advice, I will put the landing on! The opening of the boxes are 12-12.5 inches square. They are still not laying in the boxes (well only 1 is!)