I can say with confidence that my hens prefer the bottom nest boxes.
An important thing is to have the best boxes lower than the roosts.
Yup

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I can say with confidence that my hens prefer the bottom nest boxes.
An important thing is to have the best boxes lower than the roosts.
I can say with confidence that my hens prefer the bottom nest boxes.
An important thing is to have the best boxes lower than the roosts.
Yupplus they tend to pick a favorite and ignore the others even if it means everyone take turns. Ive seen my hens wait on the favorite box.
Yes just a couple inches.
Here is a pic.
View attachment 1715925
Yes that bottom left is the preferred box here.![]()
I have Lavender Orpingtons, and from what I've read, they are a heavier bird and need lower nesting boxes and roosting bar, so as to not damage their legs when they jump down. Is this true?I'm in process of compiling coop plans and what I have read has been nesting boxes 18"-24" off ground, I suppose that it depends and I am interested to hear others opinions.
My coop will be 6x4 and 4 feet tall, I will have 7 chickens, so SQ feet is very important to me. I think if I go 12 inches, that will be safe enough for my heavier birds, but high enough not to remove to much SQ feet. Thank you for your info.My coop is 6x8. I want as much free floor space as possible so my nest boxes are 12" off the floor.
Anything taking up floor space, reduces SQ footage and the number of chickens that will be comfortable in the space.
If you're coop is large enough, it may be a mute point, but with smaller coops it's something to think about.
My nest boxes are 12-18” off the ground (I’m not sure exactly.) Not a problem if a hen hatches in there as long as you have it blocked off enough that the chicks don’t accidentally fall out. Personally, I prefer to have them nest on the ground.I'm getting ready to build my coop, but I need to know if my nesting boxes can be 8 - 12 inches off the ground, or should they be higher? And can my roosting bars be 12 - 18 inches off the ground?