Nesting Box Size.

[tryals15]

I just started building my coop, and I'm already changing design specs. =]

The interior of the coop is 33" from stud to stud on the interior (front to back). I was going to build two nesting boxes at 12" wide (on the left) and just fill the rest of the space with wall, but could I get away with 3 ~10.5" wide boxes instead? I have the room to compensate with depth if that is necessary...

 

[teach1rusl]

It looks like a small coop, so I'm guessing you'll just have a few chickens. Two nest boxes would be plenty I'm sure. Unless you'll have bantams, that sounds awfully small. My nest boxes are about 15 or 16 inches wide, and my girls seem to enjoy having a bit more room. I would just make them a little wider than the suggested standard of 12".

Here are my nest boxes. My one girl held out as long as she could before heading in behind the other one to lay her egg...lol.

 

[Barred Rocker]

Mine are 12 " wide and 15" deep and 15" tall.

 

[tryals15]

Yeah, we're only getting 6 chicks. I know two nesting boxes is fine, I just wanted to make good use of space... I'm glad to hear that wider would work too, I may go that route instead of limiting the boxes to 1 cu ft.

 

[Celtic Hill]

Would a 1'' x 1'' bo okay, or is that too small?

 

[Doopy]

Quote:
A one inch by one inch what? Do you mean 12 inch by 12 inch?

 

[Celtic Hill]

Yea! you know those really really really small chickens???

yea well i meant 1' x 1' LOL

 

[Layira]

Is there a standard size or special requirements for a nesting box?

 

[tryals15]

Most everything I've seen says one cubic foot (12" x 12" x 12").

 

[teach1rusl]

Yes, many people use 12" as a standard, I think to conserve space. But let me tell you, my big, fluffy BO would not be happy stuffing her big butt into a 12x12" box!! Some folks even use covered litter boxes as nest boxes, and those are much larger than 12" obviously. If you have the space, I'd go a little bigger...maybe 14 or 16 inches. But unless you have bantam breeds, I wouldn't go smaller than 12".