How many nesting boxes are suitable for this amount of birds?

[Lisawaniel]

I currently have 3 hens and 3 nesting boxes. 1 is recovering from worms and still isn’t laying yet and the other 2 lay in seperate nesting boxes. However, I have 10 ISA brown chicks still in the brooder who are around 6 weeks (I know it’s time for them to start going out but I’m postponing it for a week when I come back from vacation so I can monitor them when outside) and I’m going to give away or eat 3 of those chicks so I’m going to have 10 hens total. ( my 3 current hens + 7 isa browns ) but we are wondering how many nesting boxes we need to have… because isa browns lay everyday and If I have 7 I’m going to need over 7 nesting boxes. I was thinking of just adding 3 more nesting boxes so in total I would have 6 because my current hens are easter eggers and usually lay every other day. Is 6 nesting boxes enough?

 

[Lisawaniel]

I have nine hens and three nesting boxes and all nine use the same nesting box! (Very very rarely will I find an egg and one of the other boxes). My point is you certainly don’t need one box per chicken, I think you’d be fine with two or three boxes.

 

[Chickenclaude]

I have 6 girls. I have 4 nesting boxes on each side of the house. So 8 boxes. They use one side. Usually laying 1 egg a day each. I have found that they all will use the same darn box if they can. I have found a dozen eggs in one nesting box. (If I skip a day gathering) While the rest of the boxes are empty. So it will depend on if they all lay at the same time of day. I would think that 4 boxes would be fine.

 

[Vicker]

Chickens are hilarious. Give them each their own box and they'll pile up on top of each other in the same box. And a broody will hog the favorite box all day. Now, I have one long box with no dividers. I got it so the eggs roll down into a collection tray, but I had 6 in there at once yesterday.

 

[Karalyn]

Agree, you don’t need one nest per hen. For 10 chickens, 3 nests is enough. I personally have 3 nesting boxes for 14 hens

I have 30 hens and 2 nesting boxes. A small and medium size one. Routinely gather 10 minutes gigs out of one and about 4-6 from the other

Agree, you don’t need one nest per hen. For 10 chickens, 3 nests is enough. I personally have 3 nesting boxes for 14 hens

 

[rsmith1109]

You only need one box for every 3 or 4 birds

I agree. No matter how many nesting boxes you have, your hens will have their own ideas as to where they will lay their eggs. Most likely, multiple hens will use the same box. I use wooden eggs to “suggest” my preference but they do what they want.

 

[chickendale1]

I currently have 3 hens and 3 nesting boxes. 1 is recovering from worms and still isn’t laying yet and the other 2 lay in seperate nesting boxes. However, I have 10 ISA brown chicks still in the brooder who are around 6 weeks (I know it’s time for them to start going out but I’m postponing it for a week when I come back from vacation so I can monitor them when outside) and I’m going to give away or eat 3 of those chicks so I’m going to have 10 hens total. ( my 3 current hens + 7 isa browns ) but we are wondering how many nesting boxes we need to have… because isa browns lay everyday and If I have 7 I’m going to need over 7 nesting boxes. I was thinking of just adding 3 more nesting boxes so in total I would have 6 because my current hens are easter eggers and usually lay every other day. Is 6 nesting boxes enough?

My hens take turns when they lay. I originally had deviders in the nest box but they would all use the same one, so I removed them. Now they all lay in the same spot and take turns.

 

[Judy Todd]

Agree, you don’t need one nest per hen. For 10 chickens, 3 nests is enough. I personally have 3 nesting boxes for 14 hens

No matter now many you give them, they will only use 3 or 4. I have 16 laying hens and they use 3, once in a while the other 2, Total of 5, had 6 , but it only got used by one hen, so I removed it.

 

[Judy Todd]

In chicken minds, "higher is better". I have some that prefer, particularly when the weather is nice, to sleep on the ridge line of my coop, and the top of the door. Only rarely do I feel the need to button up the coop - but I'm willing to accept more losses to predation than most.

Yes, same here, the new ones, 16 weeks have chosen to sleep on the horizontal 2 by6's that
are shoulder height for me, no matter how many times I move them to the roosts ater dark. I am trying to get them to roost over the poop boards. Lordy, lord, stuborn chicks.

 

[Judy Todd]

Put a sloped cover on top of the nest boxes, so they can't sit up there. I built mine with a 45 degree slope on top but you can simply use a piece of scrap plywood or maybe even heavy cardboard, set at 45 degrees or more.

View attachment 2717260

Love your slanting board, clever. I have a piece of hardware cloth stapled up, but love your look. Will try to find those hinges, great look. Looks like you can open it up to clean. I had trouble with mice building nests there when it was a permanent cover, but hinges would solve that. What is the black paint on the bottom of your 2by 4's