How big should the nest box be?

[skatcatla]

I have some plywood that would make a 12" x 12" by 16 "deep box..is that big enough? The 12" x 12" opening seems so small to me...

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Ours are 12x12x12 and my DH put strips on the front to help keep in the bedding. No one has any problem with using them.

 

[chickenranchwife]

They suggest 14" square box depending on the breed, if they are bantams then 12" square boxes will work. Good luck

 

[wynedot55]

you can make them 16 by 16.if your afraid 12 by 12 is to small.

 

[Poison Ivy]

I made mine 12x12x15 and now wish I had made mine 16x16 for the bigger girls to have a little more room.

 

[skatcatla]

Thanks all! I made it yesterday and actually because of the thickness of the wood its more like a 13" square opening and 16 inches deep. I think it will be big enough for them (I hope!). Now I just need to mount it.

 

[chickenranchwife]

Sounds good skat, take some pictures and show us your boxes. How are you going to mount them, do you know yet? I used a couple 2x4's and made a L bracket, making sure the long part stuck out a few inches so they had something to stand on when they went in or got out or whatever. Sounds good so far.

 

[skatcatla]

I will, chickenranch! I just need to finish putting on the hinged lid (the hinges I bought initially are too small) and then I can try and mount it.

My idea is to mount it to the outside of the hen house, where the existing egg-door is now. This is the product I have:

but I don't like the nest box that comes with it. So I'm going to cut a larger hole in the back and just screw the whole box onto the outside. That will give them more room inside, as well as more privacy in the box.

My only fear is that the plywood of the coop isn't strong enough to hold the weight of the new box (even though its not so heavy) so I may have to brace it somehow. Wish me luck!

 

[Poison Ivy]

I have one almost like that but my door doesn't open all the way like that one. I have a small side door I use that little coop as my outdoor baby brooder when they get to big to be in the house. I love it and I have it sitting up on concrete blocks to make it easier for me to clean and reach inside. I like the idea of moving the nest box outside.

 

[wortgames]

I'm also planning to build a better nest box this weekend, and I'm wondering whether I need to provide a nest per bird or are they happy to share (hot-nest?)? Will multiple chickens lay eggs in the same nest on the same day?

My box will also be in the coop wall, and will be accessed from outside the coop via a lid, and I'm planning to build a feed dispenser into it as well so that lifting the one lid will provide access to the eggs and also a quick and easy way to gauge and refill the feeder.