Nesting Box question!

[Morgan7782]

I will have three laying hens, and was wondering how many laying/nesting boxes I needed in the coop? Do I need 3? One for each hen? Or should I go for 2 boxes? Any advice = great thanks

 

[redturtle]

usually its 4 hens to a box...so one should do ya........have fun

 

[4-H chicken mom]

One is all you need, but if you have the room, a second couldn't hurt. That way noone has to wait in line and you will already have it just in case you get more.

 

[teach1rusl]

You will only need one. But if you have the space, I would go with two, because there's always a chance you could end up with a broody hen at one time or another.

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Quote:
That's true BUT...there are always more hens to come, so plan accordingly!

 

[BetterHensandGardens]

Definitely go with two, we had the same question and went with two. You can see what they ended up looking like here: http://www.betterhensandgardens.com/2010/02/07/new-chicken-nesting-box/

Anyway, chickens just seem habit forming, we started with 3 hens (harmless right?), added a hen and rooster (what are a couple more?), hen went broody (we should hatch some eggs since she's broody right?), and now she's sitting on 15 eggs. How could we possibly have gone from 3 hens to possibly 20?????????????????

 

[farmboydj]

go with two

 

[Morgan7782]

Thanks all! I will go with the two, better more then too less. Sadly I have to keep my limit at 3 because that's all my coop allows for. I am NO good at building anything, and no creative brothers or sisters live nearby lol. I am working on a small budget as well, so buying a larger coop is out of the question.

THOUGH I would LOVE to have more.. I am enjoying everything about these three chicks, and love how they grow

 

[redturtle]

let us all know when you UPGRADE to a total of 8 hens....since 2 nest boxes can accomodate that many......lol......have fun