MacGyvering Nest Boxes? please share....

[jefra]

ok - i'd love to know what kinds of creative nestboxes you all are using out there. Shoeboxes? Bins? Garbage cans on their sides?

It seems like it'd be a pretty basic thing to MacGyver out of things laying around the house and yard.

Pics please?

thanks!

 

[Buckguy20]

Cat litter buckets or five gallon buckets laid on their side with a board partially across the front to keep eggs from rolling out. Milk crates nailed to the walls or weighted and sitting on a shelf. I also have an old cupboard that I added dividers to and made 12 nests. Just a few ideas.
Monty

 

[Poison Ivy]

They use the large box with the towel on it. I have no idea why but they fight over that one everyday. I made the 6 other boxes but only the bantam's use it once in awhile. I now use it for shelves turned on its side and sitting on top of the large box and my slw has decided she like the bottom shelf now as a nest. Go figure

 

[TreyClark281]

i use the milk crates and they work good. but id like some wood ones..

 

[TransplantedTexan]

I work in the paper industry and we install very large bearings to large machinery. Bearings are shipped to us in large wooden boxes. After they use the bearing they throw away the box. This is one of those boxes with holes cut in it.

 

[wendy]

Quote:
is the box with the towel a bigger nesting area? that i think is our problem. one box is a little roomier ? (i hope i spelled that right)

 

[mdbucks]

I took two old kitchen cabinets, divided one into 11x 12 (3) one one level and 15 1/2 x 12 on the other level and the few eggs I have got have been in the smaller boxes, maybe when the bigger birds start to lay they will use the larger boxes, if not I will make those smaller too. The other was just big enough to put in as is 12 x 12. Oh I almost forgot, I turn ed them around so the cabinet faces out into my area of the coop, and they go in the side that would face the wall.

 

[Poison Ivy]

Yes its one big open front box. When I had the guys come to finish my chicken coop. They all spoke spanish and some english so something's got lost in the translation on what I wanted. But I've thought of making a wire mesh door and using it as a brooder box. But not sure if I want to its 4x3 in size.


Quote:
is the box with the towel a bigger nesting area? that i think is our problem. one box is a little roomier ? (i hope i spelled that right)

 

[wendy]

Yes its one big open front box. When I had the guys come to finish my chicken coop. They all speak spanish and some engish so somethings got lost in the translation on what I wanted. But I've thought of making a wire mesh door and using it as a brooder box. But not sure if I want to its 4x3 in size.


oh okay, we have three nesting boxes and one of ours is bigger than the other and i think that is why the bigger one gets used more and why they sometimes fight over it and i have to go out there and straighten them out! lol my husband sends me out there to deal with it too if it happens when he is home! :aww

 

[TransplantedTexan]

How many hens per nesting box should one have?
What's the ratio?
I have 22 hens and the box above has four spots, plus I have a commercial nester (pictured below)that holds maybe three hens. That's if the three hens don't mind being in there at the same time doing their business.