Nest boxes.......

[Kung Fu Chicken]

Am working on an extension of existing coop.

Was thinking of using 5 gallon buckets as nest boxes.

Anyone else have used these and could share experiences....??

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I have a brooder house that has no nest boxes. If the birds in there get old enough before I can get them into another coop, I use a 5 gallon bucket with a largish hole cut in the lid. I alswo screw a 1X board screwed to one side to keep it stable. I have a flock that has been using the bucket for quite some time now.

 

[Kung Fu Chicken]

Ok

Was going to set up new addition like that.
How big of hole in lid?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It's about 2/3 of the lid. Just enough material left to keep the lid on and enough on one side to keep the nest material in.

It may also depend on the size of your hens.

 

[Hholly]

I made some of these. After being screwed down to the board, they wobbled a little bit. So I placed a piece of concrete block at either end to keep them stable. The chickens like to get into them, but I'm still waiting on my first eggs. So I don't know if they will use them or not. I glued some rubber across the part of the lid that the chicken's feet would contact, where it was cut. These are probably not big enough for larger chickens. But I don't have much experience with what layers like yet. Good luck!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

It's surprising how small a box very large birds can and want to get into. I've had super sized birds and they still squeeze into a 9x9 opening to lay in a 12X14 nest.

 

[Kung Fu Chicken]

How do you keep them from jumping on top of buckets?

 

[Hholly]

The buckets are rounded and slippery, so they don't seem interested in jumping on them. When they need cleaning, I just take the board with buckets attached out and hose them out