Help! How do you set up a nest box?

[mlahodik]

Sorry for the dumb title and question. New chicken tender here. I just realized that some of my girls are old enough to start laying. I don't have nest boxes installed yet, I will be purchasing a 3 box rollaway soon.
1.What materials do you put in the nest boxes?
2. what can I use in the meantime, until I get the rollaway nest boxes installed?
3. Where in the coop, should I place them?
4. Do hens only lay in the morning or all through the day?
5. Do they know not to go in there and soil the boxes, or should I train them, how?

Anything else you recommend for a city girl with a country loving heart?

 

[nuthatched]

1. Hay, usually. Though you can use wood shavings.
2. Cat litter boxes, milk crates, bins, 5 gal buckets on their sides.
3. some people put them on the floor, some mount them to the wall to maximize floor space.
4. They're usually done by mid afternoon.
5. They instinctively know not to potty in there.

 

[CluckerFamily]

I don't have experience with rollaway nesting boxes, hopefully others can answer the questions as to what to put in those for material.
Pictures of your coop would help us to recommend where to place the rollaway box.
Hens lay all day long.
Purchasing fake eggs would help but I don't know how they would work with the rollaway box.

 

[chickmamato7]

I have 4 nest boxes for 6 hens and just use straw with some fake eggs to give them the idea. Two of the nest boxes are from TSC, called "Free Range", and are wall-mounts. The other two are 2nd hand covered kitty litter boxes, one placed on the ground and the other right above it, about 2' off the ground. My girls so far prefer the litter boxes, which are roomier than the standard 12" X 12" wall mounted ones. They use both cat boxes (which were free), but not the wall mounted ones I spent $$ on. They just started laying this week and not all of them lay yet, so that may change.

https://www.communitychickens.com/7-criteria-for-a-good-nesting-box-giveaway/

 

[mlahodik]

I don't have experience with rollaway nesting boxes, hopefully others can answer the questions as to what to put in those for material.
Pictures of your coop would help us to recommend where to place the rollaway box.
Hens lay all day long.
Purchasing fake eggs would help but I don't know how they would work with the rollaway box.

They don't have to be roll away, I haven't made up my mind on which to get.
I guess the most important thing I'd like is to be able to collect eggs from outside the coop, but I'm open to any ideas.

 

[CluckerFamily]

They don't have to be roll away, I haven't made up my mind on which to get.
I guess the most important thing I'd like is to be able to collect eggs from outside the coop, but I'm open to any ideas.

I have a walk-in coop so my nesting boxes are inside. I use 5 gallon pails that are placed into the rungs of a ladder. I have 16 hens/pullets and three nesting boxes. I only have EEs so they don’t lay daily.

 

[ChickensForSustainability]

Hi, I recently myself ran into the same problem, but actually it really easy if you are handy.
I found this video

helped me a lot.
I think its worth putting up a roll away nesting box, its much less hassle and also you are guaranteed to have clean eggs while also not having to deal with cannibalistic birds.
Hope this helps!

 

[3KillerBs]

I use shavings for the nest boxes, which we built into the wall of the coop.

The important things are that the nests be sheltered, relatively dark, and below the level of the roosts.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Since you appear to be looking for ideas, quick an easy or maybe more detailed, I'll give these links. You'll see that there are not rules, you can use many different things.

Nest boxes

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/41108/show-us-your-nest-boxes-ingenous-design-post-it-here/220

Nest Boxes

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/4...-your-creative-nesting-boxes/80#post_12395882

What materials do you put in the nest boxes?

People use wood shavings, wood chips, straw, hay, shredded paper, Spanish moss, certain feed bags, carpet, or rags to name a few. I cut tall grass form areas I don't mow or weed eat and dry it. Try something. If you don't like it, try something else.

what can I use in the meantime, until I get the rollaway nest boxes installed?

Again. look at the links.

Where in the coop, should I place them?

Where it is convenient to you. You will wind up caring about that a lot more than the chickens will. The way I determine elevation is to determine where the coop floor is, including bedding. Then position the nests. Some people like the nests on the coop floor. Some like them high enough that they don't have to bend over to gather eggs, say you have a bad back. That distance from the floor might be different if you have a walk-in coop versus an elevated one that you gather eggs from outside. Then I position the roosts higher than the nests. Chickens tend to sleep at the highest point available. If the nests are higher than the roosts they tend to sleep and poop in the nests.

Horizontally you do not want them pooping in the nests from the roosts. If the nests are covered the top may be a droppings board. If they are not covered be more careful about them pooping from the roosts.

You'll need to position them where you have good access. I don't know what your coop looks like so I can't offer much there. When the chickens fly down from the roost they need a clear landing area. Try to position the nests so they don't bang into them on the way down.

Do hens only lay in the morning or all through the day?

Most eggs are laid in the morning but they can lay all day.

Do they know not to go in there and soil the boxes, or should I train them, how?

No, they do not know to not go into the nests to poop. A broody hen knows to not soil her nest. A laying hen typically doesn't either while she is laying. But when they are not laying they don't care. I don't know any way to train then either. But I give mine a lot of room outside and I have the weather that they can be outside all day so they are not hanging in the coop all day. It's just generally not a problem for me.

When they are sorting out the pecking order or a cockerel is harassing pullets some can use the nests as a hiding place. Again, I have a lot of room outside so they can get away out there if they need it, but with a small coop and run you may have issues with them hiding in the nests. My roosts are high enough off of the coop floor so mine go up there when they feel threatened instead of hiding in the nests. Some people with small coops and runs can have an issue with them hiding in the nests.

Anything else you recommend for a city girl with a country loving heart?

Mainly, be flexible. Try something. If it doesn't work, try something else. Very few things work perfectly the way we originally plan them. Don't be afraid to change if you need to. And think if your comfort and convenience. You are important. If you arrange it where you enjoy taking care of them instead of hating it the chickens will benefit.

 

[mlahodik]

My coop is 6 wide by 12 including the run, two of these are cockerels, so they will be leaving soon. We will be building a new coop once our new house is built. They have a nice piece of our yard during the day to run for now. Here's a Pic of them last night, I was thinking about putting the boxes on the left side of the coop, so the roots are not over them and would like them to be on the outside, so they are easy for me to grab and they don't soil it at night. Adding some other pictures to give you a better idea of how it's set up now and what they are doing.

Will they still lay eggs if no nest box? Silly question, I know.