External Nest box ideas

[winterwolf4]

We are in the process of building a new coop. We want to put in external nest boxes. Does anyone have a design that they thought was best?

 

[3KillerBs]

You can see how I did mine in this article.

Article 'The Little, Monitor Coop' https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-little-monitor-coop.76275/

 

[winterwolf4]

We measured our smaller nest boxes in our current coop and they are 12" x 16" instead of 12" x 12". Our biefehelder hens can comfortably sit in there so that is what we will build for dimensions.

 

[winterwolf4]

You can see how I did mine in this article.

Article 'The Little, Monitor Coop' https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-little-monitor-coop.76275/

In the article you said you had too many nest boxes. How many would you suggest for 10 to 20 hens?

 

[3KillerBs]

In the article you said you had too many nest boxes. How many would you suggest for 10 to 20 hens?

The usual rule is 1 box for every 4 hens. I have 6 boxes in the big coop for between 15-25 hens depending on the time of year, plus a pet carrier on the ground since sometimes I have broodies hogging a couple of the boxes.

 

[winterwolf4]

I was in the house for a while and I came back and found my husband was putting in double decker nest boxes. I think that 10 nest boxes is too many for the coop.

 

[Shadrach]

I was in the house for a while and I came back and found my husband was putting in double decker nest boxes. I think that 10 nest boxes is too many for the coop.

That's the trouble with husbands. You leave them alone for a few minutes and they do stuff.

 

[winterwolf4]

Here is what the nest boxes look like now. My husband decided that we would do one level of nest boxes with a slanted roof.

 

[Happy hen lover]

2 boxes are plenty I had an extra that they never used( my broody hen is hogging it right now).
I love the color of coop. Hope you don't have leaks in the slanted roof, if I ever do again I would do drop down front of boxes and seal the roof edge next to coop. Before I put hard roof on my coop my boxes leaked through that very seam on mine.

 

[drycreek]

I did slanted roofs on my nest boxes but I put a 2 1/2 foot over hang. My coop roof is only 6 foot 5 inches high just enough for me to walk in and around the coop without hitting my head. They have not leaked and we’ve had some terrible rains the last couple weeks.