Nest Boxes in the Run???/Milk crates???

[Judy]

You don't have to steal milk crates, you can buy a similar product at Walmart or wherever for a few dollars. I have several; they come in handy for a lot of stuff.

You can make a nest box out of almost anything. A lot of nest boxes don't have a top, they are just an open box with maybe 6" sides.

I have made nest boxes from cardboard boxes, an old wooden box that I don't even know where I inherited it from, scrap wood, 5 gallon buckets on their side, old plastic bins, etc. I have never paid for one. My first one for this flock, from a few years ago, was a handmade sewing machine cover that someone had made for one of those old-fashioned Singer machines.

They will nest almost anywhere; they like a bit of privacy, it seems, I would guess in order to feel that their nest is hidden. Lots of people have success with a group nest box. In a small coop I would find a cardboard box big enough to hold 2 or 3.

In nature, they are going to nest someplace like hidden under a bush. I don't see anything wrong with outdoor nest boxes, but you'll have a better chance of their using it if you can make it feel a little hidden.

 

[bantyshanty]

Quote:
Those would probably stay together, but they're absolutely saturated with the chemicals that have been sprayed on the crops, which could affect your hens over time. They'll definitely stay bug-free while sitting, though:/

You could paint some decently thick found cardboard boxes with primer & exterior paint, inside & out, and they'd probably last for quite a while & be wipeable to clean them.
We did this to two and they've been used for months now & are still looking good. Time consuming, but low cost.

 

[Fluttering-about]

I built a coop for my chickens (8 birds) that is about 40 square feet. I then built some nest boxes, and they take up a lot of room in the coop.

I have a really big run. Would it work to put the nest boxes in the run and build a little roof over them? (The nest boxes already have a sloped roof, but I could build a little lean-to structure to cover them up further.) Will the birds use them in winter, or ever, for that matter?

Second, I have also heard about using milk crates as nest boxes. A couple of those would be smaller than the nest boxes I have built. Do nest boxes work? Do you turn them on their sides or put them top up?

Thanks,

Neil

My coop is very small, and the girls are sleeping in the nesting boxes. I was also thinking about putting some boxes in the run. My girls usually free range around my yard from 10am until dusk, when they just put themselves to bed.
I know that they are getting close to laying and I have to solve either the sleeping in the nesting box in the coop, or putting something in the run where they can lay.

These chickens are more work than potty training a 2 year old!!

 

[allanb]

Curious why nesting boxes should not be in the run? I have 2 nesting boxes built on the end of my coop, but I have gone from 5 to 11 chickens and I don't really have room inside my coop for more nesting, so I was thinking of putting some in the run. It is covered, if that matters.

 

[FunintheRun]

You can put a shingle or piece of cardboard in the bottom to keep the shavings from falling out. I didn't even screw these to the wall; just set them on the floor.

Hello Kansaseq! I know this is a very old post, but I'm new to chickens and am trying to set up nesting boxes with milk crates, too. How did you attach the wood lip to the milk crate?