hello, just curious how many laying boxes i might need

[Eggcessive]

I had 10 nest boxes for 32 hens, but since I have 3 banties that stay broody all year long, I found all of the boxes would be full at times. Recently I went into my barn and made about 5 more out of stored items like an oversized old rural mailbox, a 5 gallon bucket, an old water closet tank, and a rubbermaid storage container. Took them about a week but some are using them. Look up the threads on nest boxes and you will see all kinds of ideas.

 

[marlo1968]

Dcrow,
I should also mention that my hens free-range for about 3 hours each weekday and all day on most Saturdays and Sundays. So they don't spend all of their time in the run and coop. I leave the doors open so they can go and lay or get to their feed/water any time they want.

 

[greymane]

I would think that is a somewhat small coop, as well, for that many chickens. As for the nesting boxes, I think one per every four hens is a good rule, but mine tend to use just one or two. It seems whoever starts the trend, the rest follow suite in the same box. (Usually one of the end boxes.) As for Penny (our turkey), she always lays her eggs right in the middle on the ground under all of the boxes. Silly girl.

 

[loanwizard]

I have about 40 hens and they share about 10 boxes.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Hi and from Ohio. So glad you joined. The standard requirements are 4 square feet per bird inside coop space, and 10 square feet per bird for outside run space. I wouldn't recomemend over 10 birds in that space. If the birds are crowded the can get mean and start feather pulling and once blood is drawn, canibalism takes over. As far as nest boxes I put 5 in for 11 birds, what a waste. They only use two of them.