Need external nestbox plan.... can you help me?

[crj]

I'm trying to figure out how to add and external nestbox to my coop. I sort of have one but it's done all wrong. It leaks badly, spaces on the sides, it's never gotten finished. I want to make it leak proof. Something simple will do. I'm not a builder but I do enjoy building my coops. I'm starting to get pretty good at it but I need some help once in a while.

 

[Judy]

I've never tried one; I read on here all the time that they have chronic problems with leaking and are difficult to make predator proof. If I were you I'd make an alternate plan. But if you must have one, you can no doubt find plans in the coop section.

 

[TigerLilly]

Trim & caulk? Don't know what else to tell ya since they're already done.

 

[Desert Rooster]

heres a pic of the one i built

 

[crj]

I'm taking it apart. I want to give it another go. If anyone has close up pictures that would be fantastic. This way I can actually SEE what i have to do. I do better when I see it then reading about it. Pictures are a wonderful thing...... lol. It is screwed on so taking it off will be easy. I can predator poof it. That won't be hard. It's making it leak proof. I've adjusted the roofing to overlap more area over the nest box. That should help.

So, if anyone has good pictures I would sure love to see them. Thanks.

 

[chicknbuns]

I built external nest boxes and I really like them. I don't have pictues with me right now but I will try and post them later. Now to see if I can explain this without pics>>> I hung my nest box off the outside with a wood "cleat". My original plan was to make it removeable and to be able to clean the coop out with the nest boxes off. WAY to complicated so I did leave it attached to the cleat and then screwed it to the rest of the side. At the top of the lid I have a 1" or so strip of wood that is next to the coop and then the hinges set on that and are connected to the lid. Hard to understand I know without pics, anyway I was worried about leaking so I used a 2"wide strip of some left over pond liner and glued that over the whole hinge area. Still flexible so I can lift the lid to get eggs but has never come loose. I also attached 1/4" round trim to the sides to make it extra leak proof. Hope this helps.

 

[crj]

Chickenbuns....... smart thinking about the pool liner. I am understanding most of what you have said. Not quite sure about the cleat but I do understand about the roof/lid. I was thinking about putting shingles over it. The only problem I figured might happen is that they would crack over time. I know they aren't meant to move. That was a thought.

I did take off the nest box that was on there. Good thing too. The wood underneath was starting to rot. Not good. I'm going to redo the floor. I have some veneery type flooring I can put down. Figures I can't think of what it's called at the moment. Anyway, I will have to let the wood dry out before I can do anything. Lamenant! I'm still hoping to see pictures. So, if you have any they will be very helpful

Nice coop Desert Rooster! Are you sure you want to use "Desert" and not "SnowStorm" or maybe "NothPole" Rooster....... hehehe.

 

[chicknbuns]

crj
Sorry I couldn't get to my home computer yesterday, I will try tonight. I coated the roof to the nest boxes with this "rubberized" paint that we happened to have in the garage. It works great but i don't know how long it would last. Another idea I had AFTER i finished my coop was to just put a piece of pond liner over the whole nest box roof and staple it to the underneath side edge! That way it is waterproof, no seams, and still flexible. I may do that on my next coop. i just built my first one this last summer but am already planning on making a bigger one out of pallets as soon as the weather gets warmer. Let me know how yours works out.

 

[chicknbuns]

crj,
Hi, I will try to upload photos but I couldn't get it to work last time. The cleat is no more than a 2x3 cut at a diagonal so that one part is attached to the coop and the other is attached to the nest box which then fit back together when you hang the nest box on..??? Make sense? Forgive the coop, It is DIRTY! Nothing but snow and freezing temps lately. It was warmer today so the girls got to go out in the yard for a short time.Yeah!!

Ok... I CAN"T figure out how to put pics on a post??? Help?

 

[Schroeder]

I used a strip of rubber to cover the hinge, and I painted it with 2 coats of gloss enamel to repel the rain. Two years without a leak, but it is on the east side of the coop.