Nest Boxes Outside?!?!?!??!?!?!!?!?

[BAYAREABIRDER]

Heyazz,

I was thinking, it is SUCH a pain for my girls to go ALL the way UP their LADDEr and into the coop, and then FLY FOUR FEET OUT just to LAY AN EGG! Now, I was totally thinking it would be sooo cool if I could just bring their nesting box [ aka shoebox ] outside, on the isde of the coop, so they can just hop in and lay their eggs without the 3 minute hassle all the time. Wat do you think?


BAB

 

[keith burns]

thay need the work out or thay may get fat lol

 

[gritsar]

IMO, having nest boxes outside would be an invitation to egg predators.

 

[Chicksdigit]

I think I wouldn't mess with them laying in the house. Umm My Chickens lay all over the place I have plastic eggs in the nest boxes and everything and they will just lay on the ground or in the floor of the Coop in the straw......they just hollow out a place in the dirt or straw and lay an egg it is like a real Easter Egg Hunt everyday. They lay all over the 20'by 20' yard. Occasionally I find one in the nest box but I think that is by accident. So if yours are
Smarter than mine, and I think they are, I don't think I would encourage them to change a good habit. My Stupid Birds also stand in the rain......I have to go out and physically put them up
( some of them ...some have actually figured out that if you go under something you don't get wet......or maybe that is an accident too.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
I wouldn't bother putting them inside when it rains. It doesn't hurt them. Actually since I absolutely refuse to bathe a chicken, it's how they get their baths.

 

[vickie2133]

When my dad built my chicken pen and house when I was growing up, we had nest both inside and outside. Some of the hens prefered one or the other. You just need to make sure you cover the outside oes to give them some privy and shelter while laying. Nothing wrong with it at all though.

 

[BAYAREABIRDER]

LOLZ, sorry, my girls are only 3 months!!!! It is a six box shoestorage shelf thingy that I can move around with ease. Their run is about 40 feet wide, by 100 or so feet long, and weed, srub, and vine infested!!!! Chicken heaven!!!! Well, theres to that to clarify. I have 19 standards,

 

[cmom]

My nest boxes are built outside of my coop with access from the inside and out side of my coop. There are pictures on my BYC Page.