Nest box width?

[Backyard Bruce]

It’s a moot point now anyway, like I said I made a decision and went with it.

If I find that it’s not sufficient then I’ll change it.

 

[aart]

Are nests 12 at high end(coop side) or low end of roof slant?
Making ends taller to raise roof, it's all outside the wall frame(no need to change wall frame and sidng?)...PITA but might be worth it.
Will egg access be on the back of nests?

Nice coop and run!

 

[Backyard Bruce]

Official numbers are 12.5 at coop and 11 at door opening which I have yet to make, it’ll be a drop down.
I have extra metal roofing to put on top to match the coop/run roof.

 

[aart]

I have extra metal roofing to put on top to match the coop/run roof.

Make nice big overhangs.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You can see the blanked off space for the nest box, I have another on the other side of the coop
It’s framed to a 14x48” opening so if you add the width of the plywood you end with 12.5” tall.
I suppose I could remove the frame opening and make it larger but I’d rather not if it’s not really that big of a deal.

I don't consider it that big of a deal. If you saw some of the tight places hens hid nests in when I grew up on the farm you probably would not either.

A very standard recommendation on this forum and on extension web pages is a minimum of 12" x 12" x 12" for full sized fowl. I personally like bigger, I think it is better for a broody hen to have a little extra space if you ever want one to hatch eggs. If you have multiple hens laying in a nest in summer a bigger nest might be a bit cooler. But the main reasons I went with 16" x 16" x 16" is that my studs were at 16" so framing 16" nests was easier and if you cut a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood or a 8' 2x4 into 16" sections you don't have waste.

 

[lazy gardener]

As you said, if you find that you must change the height later, that can be done, though it will be PITA to do after the fact. As aart points out, the boxes are hanging on the outside of the coop, so you could easily just make the boxes a few inches higher.

Nice build, by the way. And I love your color choice.

 

[GC-Raptor]

make the boxes a few inches higher.

As LG said. The opening from the coop stays the same. Make the part that screws to coop 16" and the other end 14". Going into the box from coop the hens will duck. Once inside the box they will find lots of headroom.
It's sorta like aart's box with a 10" circle. GC

 

[jthornton]

I making my nest boxes, and I have the choice of either having four 10 inch wide boxes or three 14 inch wide boxes there and about anyway, which way would you go

I have 7 pullets, I also have room for expansion on the other side of the coop if necessary if chicken math happens on me

One 40" wide box 14" tall and 14" deep.

Edit: chickens stand up when they lay the egg so make it taller on the outside.

JT

 

[Backyard Bruce]

Ya know JT, when I posted this thread I thought of you and your preferred method but I didn’t pull the trigger.
Easy to change to one nest box if I choose so in the future

 

[jthornton]

Ya know JT, when I posted this thread I thought of you and your preferred method but I didn’t pull the trigger.
Easy to change to one nest box if I choose so in the future

Mine will have 5 at a time side by side in the nest box, it's cool that they don't squabble over a favorite box. If you make the dividers removable then you can see what they like the best.

JT