Has anyone thought of or use milk crates for nesting boxes?

[backwoodschick]

I have 3 milk crates with straw in them for nesting boxes that I am using temporarily till we get ours built. But have thought way couldn't I just use them. I use them upright with the open end upward. But was thinking of turning them on their side now that they chickens are laying and not just shredding the straw and pulling it out of the crates. Any opinions?

Susan

 

[Whispering Winds]

Yep, that is what i am sort of debating about, unless DH really can build on some I can open from the outside. They would be a snap to clean, and the only disadvantage of them I can see if the straw falling out the bottom. . . but that can be easily remedied.

 

[JulieNKC]

I have one that I use. It's sitting open end up. My chickens seem to like it and their covered litterbox the best. I tried dresser drawers, boxes, buckets etc, and the milk crate and litterbox are the favorites.

 

[bairo]

lots of folks have and do use them. Many variations....pop a shelf on the wall at between 24-30 inches off ground and put the crates on their side up there...easy and quick.
I used to take 5-gallon buckets and remove the handle then turn them on their side and had them screwed to a shelf with a 3 inch strip running in front to keep bedding/eggs in. the girls loved them and wont roost on them because they slip right off the rounded plastic.

 

[lynn1961]

You can leave them sitting upright, use a saws all to remove part of one of the sides

 

[oldchickenlady]

I have used buckets and milk crates and none of my hens cared for them much. I have also used plastic dish pans anchored to the wall, they liked those better, but they also layed on top of a bag of shavings and in a folding camp chair, too. If you do use the milk crates or buckets make sure they are anchored in some way to prevent the crates from flipping over or the buckets rolling or tilting when the hens get in them.

 

[chickensgalore]

i cut the top off of them off so there low enough they dont want to roost on them at night.work great.easy to clean

 

[backwoodschick]

Awesome and thanks for the great ideas, cutting them down is a good idea. My DH is very hand and built our coop and has a great idea. He is wanting to get drawer kits and use them then all I have to do is pull the drawer out from the outside get eggs and push it back in. That is for our current coop we have plans for a shed coop later on.


Susan

 

[Hens & Hounds]

I know alot of people who use crates & they work great! I did not have any laying around when I set up my coop in Spring but I went into a "Dollar Tree" dollar store & purchased 6 black dish pans & just placed them inside the nest box frame w/ de & pine shavings & viola! Figured it would be easy to remove for cleaning. Here is pic of Tammy (EE), Lil Miss Trouble (Polish) & Buffy (BO) using them

A wider view of all 6 of them.

Can't beat a buck a piece

 

[Framac]

I don't have pictures, but what I did was cut 2X2's the width of the crates and put one in the top back, screwed into the wall with 3 screws, bottom of the crate on the wall and one on the lower front to keep everything in. Seems to work really well. The ones I found are wider, 18 inches, and fit in between the studs of the coop.

Chris