Nest Box is done

[Mutt Farm]

After reading the do's and don'ts on BYC, we finally finished building the nest box. I'm really pleased. We re-purposed an old whelping box, so it's a little overbuilt, but only needed to buy 2 1X3's. It has a slanted roof to discourage becoming a hangout as it will be inside the coop.


We painted it with porch paint for EZ cleaning, white to reflect heat. We drilled holes for ventilation as it's very hot here. It's hinged for outside mount in the future.


We also put a landing bar (fence top rail) on the front to keep the gals from jumping in on the eggs or roosting on the edge.


In the coop it goes! So excited for my first egg!

 

[GitaBooks]

It looks awesome!

 

[Mutt Farm]

Thank you! Question...do you think I should have painted the inside darker? My temporary "coop" (as I wait...and wait...) is actually a 12X16 barn stall, so it's not very dark or private. I put it in with them last pm with orchard hay bedding, none of the girls seemed impressed. They're 5 mos and I thought they'd be ready to lay.
Here's a pic of where they sleep, the "coop".

 

[GitaBooks]

I don't think chickens need a dark coop, they just need dark nest boxes.