Nest box, in or out of the coop?

[ChaoSS]

Every coop design you see has a nest box either inside the coop or attached to the outside of the coop. Is there a reason for this? Is there a reason not to have the nesting boxes elsewhere in the run? My coop took a different direction than I had originally intended and it's going to be difficult to redo it as it stands right now. I'll probably do that later, but for now, is there any reason why I should just put some boxes in the corner of the run for them and make it easier on me to collect the eggs?

 

[iwiw60]

I'd really need to see some pics of your coop/run exterior and interior...can you post some?

 

[Ridgerunner]

As long as they have access whenever they want to lay an egg, no, there is no reason to not have a separate nesting area. Some of the things I’d consider:

Are they locked up in the mornings after the sun comes up? Some hens lay pretty early.

Will you have problems with weather where they cannot get to the nests, especially in the winter?

 

[ChaoSS]

I thought I had responded to this.

My chickens do not get locked in a coop. The coop is fairly open, with one large door in one side, and no roof. The run has a tarp over the coop. In fact the chickens have lately taken to sleeping on top of the coop instead of in it.


I'm in Central California. Weather really isn't an issue. We don't get the kind of cold that would cause problems. We don't get snow. We do get rain (although not lately) but the run will be protected from that.

 

[swarm]

will they be protected from drafts?

 

[ChaoSS]

They choose to sleep in top of the coop rather than in it. I don't think they are particularly concerned about drafts.


If we start getting into the 20s this winter I'll probably use a tarp to set up a wind break, but we don't have the kind of cold that causes "drafts" to be a concern.

 

[sunflour]

I would put the nests anywhere you want and offer them some privacy in a darker area of their home. I wanted mine outside their coop/run so I can collect eggs without having to change my shoes.