Getting ready for my chicks!!!

[spassehl]

Can anyone give me some ideas on nesting boxes. How large do they need to be? Should I line them with wood chips or straw?

I read that you don't want them sleeping in the boxes, how do you prevent that?

I am drawing up the plans to make our Chicken tractor and need ideas on the boxes.

Oh!!! And if I have 8 hen do I need 8 boxes?

Thanks very much in advance.

 

[chicken_angler]

Well you dont need 8 boxes. I would say two or three because one nest for every four hens. The nest boxes should be about 11 inches wide and 11 inches tall and 11 inches deep. Or you could make them one foot square. What size hens are you getting? Bantams? Standards?

 

[farmerlor]

I think our nesting boxes are about 12x12 but what do I know? We have some wire mesh on the bottom of the boxes and we put wood shavings in the boxes. The girls let me know when they need new wood shavings too because they start laying the eggs on the floor if they don't have nice comfy shavings. For eight hens you probably only need 1 nesting box but you'd better make two or three so they can totally ignore the other box or two. I have 6 boxes and they lay in three.

 

[chicken_angler]

I have 14 birds and 10 metal boxes. They all lay in one or two, or on the floor! Lol. They're crazy! Its a 10 hole nest box so cant seperate the boxes.

Cody!!

 

[spassehl]

Thanks to all of you for the great knowledge. I'm glad I asked I would have made 8 nesting boxes. Good to know.

Thanks again

 

[CTChickenMom]

I have Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens and it has the dimensions for making nest boxes. (All dimensions are WxHxD) They recommend large breeds needing 14x14x12, average sized need 12x14x12 and bantams only need 10x12x10. They recommend 1 nest for 4 hens but I'm going to do 1:3 just because I'll have the room. They also say that the girls like "dark out-of-the-way places" to lay their eggs. I'm going to place mine out of the way of the large window on the front so that it stays darker over in the corner. I'm also going to add more boxes in anticipation of more chicks later this year or next.