Nesting box questions

[Hensinutica]

Would small plastic storage totes work for Nesting boxes? I was thinking about these because they'd be easy to clean. I wanted to check with more experienced chicken owners.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

They could work... though if you have them on their sides, the chickens will scratch everything out. If you have them upright, the chickens could knock them over by perching on the sides. For something easy to clean and cheap, I've seen plenty of members use cat litter boxes (with the cover) as nesting boxes.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Lots of people use those. Maybe set them in a nest as an insert that can be lifted out and dumped. Maybe build a frame they can set into. You can screw them to wood to keep the hens from flipping them over. Maybe use a fender washer on the screw or a bit of wood as a furring strip so the screw head doesn't strip out.

How big are your hens? Which breeds? A tiny D-Uccle may not need a huge tote, a Jersey Giant might. A generic recommendation is that the nest needs to be 12" x 12" minimum but that should cover all hens. What size do you consider "small"?

 

[Hensinutica]

Lots of people use those. Maybe set them in a nest as an insert that can be lifted out and dumped. Maybe build a frame they can set into. You can screw them to wood to keep the hens from flipping them over. Maybe use a fender washer on the screw or a bit of wood as a furring strip so the screw head doesn't strip out.

How big are your hens? Which breeds? A tiny D-Uccle may not need a huge tote, a Jersey Giant might. A generic recommendation is that the nest needs to be 12" x 12" minimum but that should cover all hens. What size do you consider "small"?

I've got different types of Wyndottes that aren't even to laying age yet and have really only been in the coop for a couple weeks I'm just trying to plan ahead. I want to make sure I'm doing things right to keep them happy.

 

[Ridgerunner]

With Wyandottes a tote 12" x 12" or bigger should work well. My nests are 16" x 16" so bigger is not a problem. But fasten them down so they cannot flip when they step on the edge.

 

[Hensinutica]

With Wyandottes a tote 12" x 12" or bigger should work well. My nests are 16" x 16" so bigger is not a problem. But fasten them down so they cannot flip when they step on the edge.

Ok thank you I'll definitely do that. I really appreciate the advice.