Nest boxs. What is the advantage to having outdoor access

[felix4580]

there nice if u really dont care and u just want ur eggs every day but u need to go into the coop anyway to check on all your birds and make sure there all ok. if u just grab the eggs for a few days than u could have a bird sitting in the house sick and when u find it its to late.

 

[Nava]

i like to go inside and pick up egg everyday
gives me a chance to take a closer look at
my girls make sure everything is ok put
some treats in my hand and let them enjoy.

 

[RevaVirginia]

I get the feeling that the ol man (Alpha roo) makes a couple girls hang back in the coop to see If I'm the scoundrel swiping the eggs. Doing it from the outside might alleviate that.

Another thought would be to save time. Not going inside and socializing for an hour and a half.

 

[JestersEye]

I had originally planned to add outside nest boxes to our coop, but now I've grown to appreciate having them inside the coop. If you have a very small sized coop, I could see how adding outside boxes would create more space and allow gathering of the eggs a lot easier. However, if you have a large shed-type coop (like I do), I think it's best to walk inside to collect eggs each day, because it helps you to become more familiar with your flock. This helps you to recognize possible health and behavior issues, and also creates a stronger bond with the chickens, so that they learn to accept "intrusion" better. I've discovered that going inside often has helped our chickens become calmer and friendlier around us.

 

[ChookHappy]

to the previous post. I was going to add some thing to that effect. I have a small coop (8x4x4) and the outside door works well cause I would not be able to really get into my coop every day. If I had to I can get in there or ask one of my smaller sized children to go in there for repairs etc. but if I had a bunch of chooks and a bigger coop, erm... when I have a bunch of chooks and a bigger coop I will most likely want to be able to go inside and check things out with greater detail and to collect as I'm sure my boxes will be different than the setup I'm currently building.

 

[chookchick]

I have a box that is half inside, half outside and I LOVE it. It is super easy to check several times a day, my son can check it on the way home from school and not have to worry about the chickens trying to get out. It doesn't cut down at all on my "checking up on the hens" routine--I still give them treats 2-3 times a day, hang with them an hour a day, and tuck them in at night. I just made a hole in the side of the coop, made a box to slip in, and then screwed it down and to the sides. An overhang on the roof keeps me dry. If you have children, or others tending to your chickens, I highly recommend an outside access to the nestbox. I've had no nestbox, or inside access only, and those were all kind of a pain to check.

 

[ChickenfeedR]

Kind of what the other's have said, it's for easy access as you can see in my picture. When the neighbors babysit for us all they need to do is collect the eggs and not step in the poop.

--Larry