Nest boxes

[jeancordelia]

I recently went to my friend's who had chickens 40+ years to pick up his chickens as he was in a nursing home. Although I had been there many times I had not ever been in his hen house. Big surprise! He had a very nice manufactured 10 hole metal nest box on the wall, completely empty!. His hens were laying in a cement pipe about 18 inches in diameter that was sitting up on something about 2' high. It was deep enough that the hens head was under the top line of the pipe. Maybe 18 " or so, nesting, hen and then her head all under the top line. A hen was in there and all of the eggs. Now I can stop wanting one of those pretty real nice nest boxes. Chickens don't like them, they prefer a cement pipe without a top. But where they think they are hid. Learned something that day. Also as a note, his roost was not attached to the wall. It was a wood grid hanging from the ceiling by all four corners. It swayed a little but was level. Probably about two feet off the ground. I also have filed that bit of information. Hope to try it soon.

 

[Judy]

Mine apparently want to be able to change nest sites now and then. Yesterday I found 3 eggs in a new spot on some hay. I also found a few in another new spot a couple of weeks ago. I suspect they weren't happy yesterday with the fresh hay in the nest boxes, though they do lay most eggs there. It's often a bit of an adventure, picking up eggs.

 

[theoldchick]

Finding the eggs of a free range flock is like a treasure hunt! And if you don't find the treasure you'll have a bunch of fuzzy surprises running around.