Nesting Box(es)

[MamaP0912]

Hi there!

We are in the process of building our coop for our 5 chickens coming in April. My husband build a 4 ft. by 16 in. big nesting box that I will be able to access from the outside. We were planning on having one on each side. Two questions:
1. Do we really need two of them or is one enough for 5 chickens? (It looks so big!)
2. Do they need individual boxes? Should we put dividers in the long "Box"? If we need to I was considering wine boxes.

Thank you so much! Can't wait to hear everyone's wonderful advice!!

~Amber

 

[Lorettachick]

That is a BIG nesting box! I have 2- 12inx12in boxes for 10 hens and they all like the right side. lol You definitely don't need one for each. They usually all like to use the same one. Good luck!

 

[salt and pepper]

I think one is plenty! if you were to put separates in it, you would have 4 nesting boxes, so think of it that way, and no, you don't need to separate them, many people have what is called a community nest, which they claim works well.

 

[MamaP0912]

Great thank you so much!!

 

[jojomojo]

Hi there!

We are in the process of building our coop for our 5 chickens coming in April. My husband build a 4 ft. by 16 in. big nesting box that I will be able to access from the outside. We were planning on having one on each side. Two questions:
1. Do we really need two of them or is one enough for 5 chickens? (It looks so big!)
2. Do they need individual boxes? Should we put dividers in the long "Box"? If we need to I was considering wine boxes.

Thank you so much! Can't wait to hear everyone's wonderful advice!!

~Amber

That's about the size I have for 14-15 (4ft x 18") and it is more than enough! Its a community nest, just one big space with a single opening on one end. They all use the far corner away from the opening (sometimes at the same time lol). The only time they use any other part of it is if there's a grumpy broody in the favorite spot (which has been the case since around Christmas lol).

 

[ducks4you]

NO coop yet--after 3 years--go figure--yeah, I have outside pens w/shelters, and I've been using a horse stall for several winters.
ANYWAY, hens like a box with some privacy. My 15 young layers (all hatched in 2012) have access to an old 100-gallon water trough on it's side (it had a leak), with rubber mats and bedding on top. Only the top hens are laying there. All of the others are fighting to lay in the corner, next to it, where there is an overhang, and...privacy.
Look for plans here to give your birds a somewhat enclosed space and they will prefer it.
Btw, 8-13 eggs/day.

 

[MamaP0912]

Thanks!!

 

[4 the Birds]

It would be easy enough to section off your long box. My vote is individual boxes so that they have privacy. It also seems that it would be easier to have a nest with 3 walls.

 

[salt and pepper]

personally I don't think it matters. I had pretty Little separate nest boxes, and where do they lay? In the middle of the coop! I have yet to get one egg in my nest boxes... I finally just took them out. They were just wasting space!

 

[4 the Birds]

personally I don't think it matters. I had pretty Little separate nest boxes, and where do they lay? In the middle of the coop! I have yet to get one egg in my nest boxes... I finally just took them out. They were just wasting space!

You can try putting golf balls in the nesting boxes to give them a hint. The boxes in a dark area can also help. 99% of our eggs are laid in the nesting boxes. As far as space.... Mine are all exterior mounted so that no space inside the coop is sacrficed.