interior nesting boxes with flip down lip for cleaning

[primaldiva]

HI all, I am in the process of a new coop build I have been designing for a few years. I have a boutique egg farm in the northern cascades of WA state with 80 hens, no roosters. It's a very elaborate coop with attached run, attached is a basic sketch before windows were framed. Due to our snow load and cold temps nest boxes will be inside the coop (22 of them).

I designed them 18" off ground, below the poop boards and roosts, in 2 rows of 11 along one wall.
I was planning on building them from sheets of this product which is made in USA and not was much as an environmental nightmare as it could be I guess. It is also $32 for a 4 x 8 sheet as opposed to $74 for sanded sheathing plywood. I would need to place edge bands on the cut edges. I am looking to avoid wood for nest boxes due to having to paint them to prevent insects etc. I feel these will be easier to keep clean. Boxes will be 12" x 12" x 13" high.

Here are my questions:

1. Anyone object to using this material? The only drawbacks I see are how heavy it is, as well as the fact that it is easier to strip screws fastened into MDF.
2. Has anyone used it? Did/do you like it?
3. I would like the 3-4" lip holding the nesting material in to be on hinges so it can flip down for easier cleaning. For a run of 12ish feet (11 boxes) I would probably divide this lip among 4 boxes each. Math is not exact but you get the picture. Any thoughts on this? Lip could be MDF or painted 2 x 4. Any objections/input on this?

Thanks in advance.

Andrea
primalDIVA farmette

 

[Sally PB]

Lip could be MDF or painted 2 x 4.

I would avoid MDF. If it gets wet, or even is in a very humid environment, it will absorb moisture and crumble. It's also rather heavy. A 4x8 sheet of 3/4" is close to 100 pounds, I think.

It's a composite substrate. MDF = medium density fiberboard. I have seen it warp, split, crumble, and if you drop it on a corner, the corner will smash. It's made of wood fibers and resin.

 

[3KillerBs]

Hi there, sorry I forgot to include the link. It is melamine, which is MDF with a coating. I read all the reviews and this stuff is water resistant and resists staining. Much better product than just plain MDF. However, it is indeed heavy. About 90-95# per panel, and I will need 2 panels. Plus whatever I use for poop boards. This stuff is made in USA and has no formaldehyde.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Melamine-Board-Actual-0-75-in-x-49-in-x-8-08-ft/3605066

OK, I'm familiar with that since it was used by the house-flipper in a home we used to own.

It's ABSOLUTELY not for outdoor use. The coating is water-resistant, but if any water actually reaches the interior it swells up and disintegrates.

Screw holes strip out easily and it chips or crushes if dropped.

We ended up replacing those shelves with plywood.

 

[Chuckie chicken]

If by "water resistant" they are referring to the melamine, that claim would cover temporary spills on the melamine surface itself, not prolonged exposure to moisture, or the wicking that would occur at the edges. As others have said, it will soak up moisture like a sponge then swell and crumble. MDF is not structurally sound either. Even dry it tends to sag badly if it isn't supported... wet, even worse.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. What's the name of the material you're proposing?

 

[21hens-incharge]

Without knowing the actual measurements I cannot/will not comment on size for number of birds.

I will say MDF/melamine is not the best option. Even if the drop lip is a 2x4 the hinges would have to be screwed into the nest box material which would experience a slight flex/movement every time the birds step on the lip and when it's dropped for cleaning. I very much doubt it would last long.

I will ask about something in the picture of the coops framing that made me curious....
I noticed the wall stud spacing on the shorter side is much closer together than the wall studs on the taller side. What is the stud spacing on each side please?

 

[primaldiva]

Without knowing the actual measurements I cannot/will not comment on size for number of birds.

I will say MDF/melamine is not the best option. Even if the drop lip is a 2x4 the hinges would have to be screwed into the nest box material which would experience a slight flex/movement every time the birds step on the lip and when it's dropped for cleaning. I very much doubt it would last long.

I will ask about something in the picture of the coops framing that made me curious....
I noticed the wall stud spacing on the shorter side is much closer together than the wall studs on the taller side. What is the stud spacing on each side please?

All stud spacing is 16" OC. The drawing was rudimentary, I just posted it to show the style. 3 sides have 2 x 4 framing, the front side which takes most of the load is 2 x 6. The entire structure is huge, I actually need a building permit for it, so we did load calculations and I will be getting drawings done.

 

[21hens-incharge]

My painted nests use dishpan liners to protect the wood, provide easy cleaning of individual boxes if an egg is broken for example and the entire insides can be pulled out for the needed full coop cleaning and mite treatments.

Do note the anti-tip boards in each box. Yup I once had a hen tip one over and become trapped under the dishpan.

 

[NatJ]

3. I would like the 3-4" lip holding the nesting material in to be on hinges so it can flip down for easier cleaning. For a run of 12ish feet (11 boxes) I would probably divide this lip among 4 boxes each. Math is not exact but you get the picture. Any thoughts on this? Lip could be MDF or painted 2 x 4. Any objections/input on this?

One possibility for cleaning:

Build the row of nestboxes, then attach them to the wall by hinges at the top. Gravity keeps them in place, but you can lift up the front of them to let everything fall out the back (backs are completely open, because the wall itself serves as the back when they are in their usual position.

I don't know if that would be easier or harder than hinging the front lip, but it's what my Dad built a few decades ago, and it worked well for us.

 

[primaldiva]

Hi there, sorry I forgot to include the link. It is melamine, which is MDF with a coating. I read all the reviews and this stuff is water resistant and resists staining. Much better product than just plain MDF. However, it is indeed heavy. About 90-95# per panel, and I will need 2 panels. Plus whatever I use for poop boards. This stuff is made in USA and has no formaldehyde.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Melamine-Board-Actual-0-75-in-x-49-in-x-8-08-ft/3605066