If you've made or use roll-out nest boxes...

[gale65]

I have some questions. Since we're starting with new chicks soon we want to modify our nest boxes so that the eggs will roll out and away. We had a lot of problems with broken eggs (some we just found the shells so maybe some being eaten as well) and had a big problem with very poopy eggs. We didn't want to do these modifications before since the hens were used to the boxes the way they were. So anyway what we have are nest boxes that have a large opening inside the coop and a slightly smaller opening (due to the sloped roof of the stick-out nest box area) outside the coop. The boxes are plenty long enough to dedicate part of them to a roll-out area. I think they are around 16" deep. Maybe even a little more. Right now there are washtubs in the nests and we aren't sure if we'll use those and just prop them up and cut an opening at the back for eggs to go through or make a new "floor" that is propped up. In the area where the eggs will roll to, we'll line it with flexible foam insulation type stuff. The chickens won't be able to reach this part so pecking at it shouldn't be an issue.

So my questions. What is a good 'floor' for these type of boxes that will allow the eggs to roll out freely, but be cheap enough to swap out as they get dirty.

how much of an angle is typically needed?

If anyone has pictures of a similar setup I'd love to see them.

here's what ours look like now. From outside

and inside

thanks!

 

[Kelsie2290]

For a floor, the thick drawer liner stuff like you use for hatching seems be popular and to work pretty well, we also had some pieces of 1/2" soft rubber mats like what you stand on that is nice also...have seen other people use outdoor carpet. I like about a 3" rise from back to front... you might have to play around with what works best with the size of eggs you have and the floor you use. I really like the idea of using the tubs if they fit right and just cutting a slot in the back for the eggs to roll out of, lot easier than building the whole thing.

 

[gale65]

Thank you. I'm going to go scout out the dollar stores this week and see what kind of rugs I can find for cheap. I also found these online-I wonder if anyone has tried these in an existing nest box.

http://www.cornerstone-farm.com/equipment/roll-out-nest-bottom/

 

[littlefamily]

We are in process of building our coop. Should we build nesting boxes with an angle to roll the eggs out? I'm using straw in mine

 

[gale65]

We thought it wouldn't be necessary but as our hens got older, we had a lot more broken eggs (sometimes the innards were all gone and sometimes they weren't) but even worse, poopy eggs. I'm talking a half inch thick layer of poop on some. It got to the point where I had to scrub 90% of the eggs and I was pretty sick of it. At the end (shortly before we had them butchered) they started to roost in the nests even though they had plenty of space on the roost and the roost was a good 15" higher than the nest boxes. It got to be a habit that we couldn't seem to break them of.