Egg box opening

[Chickenheadmate]

how big should the entry hole be?

 

[aart]

Might depend on how big the nest is.
My nests are 14x14x16 with a 10" dia entry hole.

 

[Ridgerunner]

What sized nest. especially width and height? What sized chickens? What does the nest look like?

I have had full-sized hens use an entry hole that was 6" high and 8" wide. The lip wasn't originally high enough to keep the bedding and eggs from being scratched out so I had to raise the lip which shrunk the opening.

The size of your nest may limit it. You need enough of a lip across the bottom to hold stuff in. After my bad experience I now use about a 4" high lip. Many people use less and do OK. If your nest isn't very tall that may not leave much room for the opening. The nests I have now are 16" high so I have plenty of room and use an 8" x 8" opening.

 

[Chickenheadmate]

I've placed a new nest box, right next to the old one, exaltly the same and they rather go lay outside of the tractor in the yard.
What's with this?

 

[Chickenheadmate]

I left them in the tractor this morning to encourage them laying in it, and I go to find two in the first one

 

[aart]

Chickens like things to stay the same, any change can throw them off.
Keeping them in a tractor can break the habit of coop nest laying.
It could take a good long while to get them used to laying in either the coop or the tractor.

 

[Alaskan]

To help teach them where you want them to lay, a fake egg in the correct nest is good.