Nest boxes-how high off the floor?

[Chemguy]

My boxes are at floor-level, and I kept them closed off until a couple of weeks before my hens started to lay. The openings are 12" wide, 20" high. Since I have opened them up I have had no problems with pooping. In fact, they don't go in there at all, except to lay. I've tried to make the boxes an inviting place to lay by placing a 4" strip at the bottom and a 4" strip at the top, making a litlle 'hen cave'. Roosts are at least 2 feet above the floor.

 

[Dutch552]

I've had broodies take chicks into a low nest to sleep at night until they take them to the roosts. So maybe a broody and her chicks were sleeping in there? When the broody transitions taking the chicks from the floor to the roosts, I've had them spend a couple of nights in a raised nest box, but that was just a very few nights. Same thing when I put brooder raised chicks in with the older ones. The brooder raised chicks may sleep on the floor until they are ready to roost and they may use the nest as a transition to the roosts. But several times, they have stayed in the nests for several days while transitioning to the nest. Usually they sleep on top of the nests when transitioning, not in the nests, but that may depend on how yours are built. But if you have a broody with chicks or young chicks sleeping in there, they may use a nest at floor level.

When I have young chickens in that have been integrated but are still young enough to be at the bottom of the pecking order, occasionally some of the adults are so brutal to them on the roosts that they look for a safer place to nest. Usually this is in top of my nests, but occasionally one tries to sleep inside. I don't always have this, but it has happened more than once.

This transition time and the possible reaction to bullies on the roosts is why I suggest the roosts be noticeably higher than the top of the nests, so they have an option off the ground but lower than the roosts but not in the nest boxes. I put a roost over the nest boxes but lower than the main roosts for this transition. The top of the nest boxes act as a droppings board. They have a clear option of something up higher than the nest boxes but lower than the roosts so the bullies don't get jealous.

I'm not sure why you considered the first ones up too high? Were they sleeping in them or not using them? If it was a case of not using them, a perch in front of them to give them a place to hop/fly to for access may be the solution.

I don't know what your coop looks like, especially how much height you have to work with but also where your roosts are. If you raise the nests off the floor, I'd get them high enough that you can access under them in case one decides to lay under there, if you have enough vertical room to do that. Mine do scratch a lot and the bedding builds up under mine. Occasionally I have to rake the bedding out from under them. If you can't raise the nests a little, maybe put a high lip across the botttom of them to try to stop them scratching debris into them.

I don't know if you will get anything out of this that helps or not, but good luck.

I think you just hit upon something here because I do have three younger birds that were introduced into the flock about a month ago and they may be seeking the shelter of the floor boxes from the other birds. I am going to have to do some detective work.

I thought they were too high originally because they were rarely getting used and most of my eggs had become floor eggs-from birds that had always layed in boxes in their previous coop. Same box dimensions, same bedding, fake eggs, only mounted 2' above floor level their roosts start at 5'. I am going to add a perch today and see if that changes anything.

 

[Bernard P. Fife]

I must have lucked out with mine. I placed them about two feet off the ground and the next day there was an egg in one of them! =D

 

[mlm Mike]

I put mine off the ground, but lower then their roost, about 18 inches off the ground.

 

[Catfish267]

What is the point of raising them off the ground?