Hi, new here, new to owning chickens too, question about nesting...

[CaliforniaChickenGirl]

My boyfriend and I are planning out a coop for our 6 chickens, his idea was to have the nests on the ground instead of up in the "housing" area. That didn't sound right to me, but I couldn't give him a good enough reason for us not to plan it that way. Please help, we're still pretty new to being chicken owners and we've done fine so far, but we're stumped when it comes to planning the coop. Thanks in advance!

 

[lux_interior]

On the ground, as in inside the run? I would say that's probably not the best plan... they like to be safe and secure when they're nesting, It's best to have it inside their house. Its also better to have the nest boxes up off the ground, but lower than the roosts. Good luck

 

[4-H chicken mom]

First let me say

from Ohio. I agree with lux-interior inside is best for chicken safety. What is his reasoning for having the nesting outside, maybe we are missing something.

 

[Omran]

well on the ground, eggs will be dirty, hens might brake eggs, in winter it is too cold, etc nest boxes should be at least 15"to 18" above ground.

 

[CaliforniaChickenGirl]

Okay all of these reasons make perfect sense to me! I shared some of the reasons with him and he will be redesigning the coop. Thank you! His reasoning was that he thought he had a cool idea with the nests being on the ground. His reasoning was "they do that in the wild," lol.