nest box door problem

[lisamayc]

Over the weekend I build a nest box to attach to the outside of the coop. It is 42" long, 17" deep and 14 " high - my chickens seem to do fine with a community box. So far they all lay in the same corner of the community box that is inside the coop (the corner farthest from my reach of course - nothing a paste spoon can't fix!) At any rate, I wanted to design the nest box so I could open the door from the outside and not have to enter the coop. I like the idea of a door in front of the box so it will be easy to clean/gather egges. So I got the box built - attached it to the side of the coop (very proud - I was able to do this by myself with the help of two ratchet straps) and mounted the door on hinges. The box is made of 3/8 plywood - My problem is the door does not seem very secure in the middle. If I screwed some 1"x4" on the inside perimeter of the door will this help it be more firm.

I ran out of time last night and had to kekep the door as one piece with hinges on the side and latch on the other side. (Because I'm not confident in the security of the door, I actually screwed the whole thing shut) What I realy want to do is cut the door in half and have two doors that open from the center.

Any suggestions on how to make the door more secure/strong will be much appreciated. I'm NOT a carpenter.

 

[Penturner]

3/8 inch ply is pretty flimsy stuff ad a 1X4 will go a long ways to help firm it up. 3/8 ply is great for keeping things light but does cause problems just like you have here without a little help.

 

[Gypsy07]

Can you post a picture of it please?

 

[Doopy]

Quote:
If you could post some pictures we could discuss the situation much more easily.
I have a hang-it-on-the-outside-wall type of community nesting box and my access door is the entire roof of the box. Very much like a top opening toy box only sloped for drainage. I would post some pictures but with 22" of snow out there I'll wait until the spring thaw.

 

[Ridgerunner]

A 42" x 14" door out of 3/8" plywood. Yeah, that would be flimsy. Either a 1"x 2", 1"x3" or 1"x4" around the perimeter will stiffen it up quite a bit. If you put it on the outside, you would probably need to caulk it to keep water from getting behind it and rotting it. On the inside the bedding material may get in the way of it closing. I don't know what yours looks like but just something to cionsider. May not be any problem at all with yours.

Before you go to the trouble of splitting it and making two doors, I'd suggest putting some 1" around the perimeter and see what you think. It won't be hard to take the 1" back off if you use screws and an electric screw driver. Often the simplest solution is the best solution.

I made mine hinged on the bottom so I could see into the nest easier when I opened it without having to bend so much. I wound up hardly ever using this outside access door. I go into the coop to get the eggs, make sure there is feed and water inside, check if anything is wrong with the chickens, do I need to rake the litter, and see if a predator has made his way in. I found a possom once.

Good luck!!!

 

[lisamayc]

Thanks for the response - I also like to go into the coop every night when I get home to check on everyone. Tend to food and water and scoop a little poop the reason for wanting the nesting box on the outside is twofold:
1) is to provide extra space inside for roosting at night;
2) So when I have to travel for work, I can ask my neighbor to collect eggs with out having to go inside. I have a pretty good set up for food and water that will last a couple of days if need be.

I like the idea of having the door open down instead of from the side. I think I will give that a try.

At first I was going to build the box with a sloping roof - but I have a nice overhanging roof so water won't be an issue. (to be honest, I was getting tired, running out of daylight, made the cut incorrect, and the mosquitoes were eating me alive) so I ended up simply making a box - which I like because it doubles as convenient shelf when you are working on a project.