Nest boxes - inside or out?

[imthedude]

I originally planned to have my next boxes inside the coop with a door to gather eggs from the outside. Now I'm thinking I might want to put the nest boxes outside the coop with the same door to gather eggs outside. Seems like it would leave more room inside for the girls to move around. Thoughts?

 

[LittleMamaBigPapa]

Mine are on the outside and for me with a 4x4 coop, it was a must! I love it.... check my main page.

 

[hemna]

I am putting mine on the inside, so in the winter when it's raining and windy, I'm not standing in the rain for the time I'm lifting the lid and getting the eggs out.
I think it will also help insulate the nest boxes from the heat/sun in the summer.

Here is my build in progress... It's an 8x8 coop that's fully insulated and vented.

 

[Backyard Hencam]

We attached our nest boxes to the outside of our tiny henhouse. We collect from outside. Our grandchildren love to lift the lid and discover eggs inside. Sometimes they discover a hen, too! I like not having to go inside to collect eggs. Less cleaning of shoes!

 

[Ridgerunner]

If your nesting boxes are high enough that the chickens can get under them (don't forget the height of your litter) they do not take away from coop space. Chcikens are basically ground dwelling birds so ground level is all that really counts.

If outside nesting boxes are well constructed, they work great. If they are not well constucted they can leak when it rains, get colder in the winter since they are more exposed, or maybe provide a weak point for predator entry. Depends on your design and construction.

 

[midget_farms]

My existing coop has them on the outside with a door. Very easy to use & I love it.

My new coop (complete this week) will have them totally on the inside w/ no door or access from the outside. Not sure if I will like this or not. I'm using a store bought 8ft x 10ft vynal shed & I don't want to start cutting holes in the vynal just yet.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
IMHO the only, and I really mean ONLY, time that it makes sense to do exterior nestboxes is if you have a teeny tiny coop that is so small/short you cannot raise the nestboxes at least 12" above the floor (bedding). In that one particular case, it *can* be worth building exterior boxes so as not to infringe on the chickens' already extremely limited indoor floorspace.

In ALL other situations, though, including coops that are small yet still tall enough to raise the nestbox at least 12" above the bedding, you are MUCH better off having interior nestboxes. Stronger, safer, more weathertight, and of course far easier to build. If you want outside access for collecting eggs without entering the coop, you can perfectly well make a hatch to allow it, with the nestboxes still being on the *interior* of hte coop.

JMHO, good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[halfpint512]

Patandchickens- can you elaborate on the hatch idea? I live in Wisconsin, and don't want the mess of having to go into the coop to collect eggs but also need to have good construction of the coop so that it is warm enough in the winter. I am trying to visualize a hatch?

 

[teach1rusl]

It's difficult to make a recommendation without knowing the size of your coop. But if your coop is tall, as others have mentioned, you don't have to lose floor space. Mine sit about 24 inches off the floor, so I keep a waterer and feeder underneath. Also, it's kind of nice sitting in there watching them lay sometimes...

 

[halfpint512]

My coop currently I refer to as the "HILL BILLY SHACK" because we hastily put a truck topper on it for the time being...(meaning a week until this weekend when we finish it off) is 6ftX 8ft. It will be 8ft tall in the front and 6 ft tall at the back and currently is housing 8 sexlink and 6 polish juvies. I am trying to figure out the inside as we will be building and finishing this weekend. I want outside access so that we are not going in and out of poop, but don't want to sacrifice the ability to keep the chickens warm in the winter by adding additional drafts of any kind.