Nesting box top - slanted or flat?

[Farmgirl1878]

Exactly.

Speaking of pooping on things, and spending time outside, doesn't the run turn into a big poopy mess at some point? Do I just keep throwing more grass / leaves / wood chips in and hope it mixes around and decomposes eventually?

That’s why we went with sand. I’m extremely allergic to molds and smuts, so having a covered run with sand was a good choice for me. And the birds - they can scratch and dustbathe to their little hearts’ content!

Plus it’s easy to keep clean. I just use a long-handles wok spider to scoop the poop which then goes in the compost pile. Same for the poop decks.

 

[K0k0shka]

Yes!!
'Big' wood chippings being the 'base' and other smaller dry stuff that breaks down faster being added in moderation as needed. Too much of that smaller stuff can cause problems. Observe and Adjust.

I love the look of this! This is what I want for my run, too. It's going to be under trees and, especially the giant maple tree, sheds leaves and twigs all the time. So I'll try to maintain a "forest floor" type of surface since that's what it will end up being anyway, and I think chickens really enjoy digging around that kind of bedding, too.

 

[CatWhisperer]

Does anyone hang nest boxes under the poop board? I tried sand in one of my runs for the first time and find it to coarse to scoop easily. I also use a wok type scoop.

 

[Alaskan]

Does anyone hang nest boxes under the poop board? I tried sand in one of my runs for the first time and find it to coarse to scoop easily. I also use a wok type scoop.

Yes.

Excellent space savings.

 

[Hokum Coco]

I've read about slanting the top of the nesting boxes

Slanted nest tops directs hens to where they are "DESIRED" to roost.

I enlarged the area over my nest boxes to 24" and place my removable (for easy cleaning) 2x4" roost 3½ inches from the platform (the boards @ 3½" save eggs laid through the night.) I have it covered with vinyl flooring and they serve as my poop boards. They are cleaned off every few days depending on the time of year and time spent in the coop. I only have a 4x8 coop and space is at a premium with as many as 25+- hens at some times.

The ruling factor is managing space wisely in "YOUR" coop.

 

[aart]

It's going to be under trees and, especially the giant maple tree, sheds leaves and twigs all the time.

You may have to watch that the copious leaf drop doesn't turn into a packed slimy mess. Wait, does your run have a mesh roof?

 

[Susan Dye]

My nest box is slanted, but they can still get on top, to get to the roost board. I scrape the top if needed, when I am scooping the poop board every morning. Do what works for you. A flat top might accumulate more poop than one with a slight slant, which could collect more poop and possibly get on the eggs, if they go in to lay after their on top.
View attachment 1882947

That's a really nice set up you've got.

 

[Mimi13]

Does anyone hang nest boxes under the poop board?

I use the area under my DB for chicks. With removable wire screens I make that their brooding area on up until they’re integrated.

Is the slanted top advice specifically so they don't sleep there at night, or in general?

Pretty much. In my big coop I built a flat top on my nests, mainly because I wanted the flat surface on MY side of the coop and I have had a never ending battle of teaching the newly integrated birds to sleep on the roosts (even though they’re higher).

Just a note: There is that rule of giving each bird 8-12” of space on the roost and that works well...on paper, that is. When I built my coop that is exactly what I did. Built enough linear feet of roost based on the number of birds I wanted. However, and this is a biggie, one foot/bird is not enough when the younger birds start roosting. Three feet isn’t enough some nights. That’s where my flat topped nest boxes come into play. The 6 month old girls are still terrified of the older girls. And I’m certain those pecks don’t feel good.

Here is a picture of my nest boxes. I keep netting secured over it on the birds’ side. Netting is also used over the nest holes to deter the untrained youngsters and aggravating broodies at night, when needed. Also, my roosts have been raised since this picture was taken, which has caused another problem.

I still need to tweak the inside of the coop. You know you never truly finish, don’t you? I am going to lower my nest boxes so I can lower my roosts a tad. The reason being I did not allow enough flight room for the birds to be able to safely jump from the DB. Should be a 45* angle and mine falls short and only my big old really fluffy birds (BO and Cochin) use the ramp down in the mornings.

And also, I don’t think I ever gave @aart credit for using her nest box design. Thank you aart! I loved your nest box design and now I love mine. My coop was built using several coop inspirations.

 

[K0k0shka]

You may have to watch that the copious leaf drop doesn't turn into a packed slimy mess. Wait, does your run have a mesh roof?

The top of the run will be covered with welded wire or something like that to protect from predators. I'm not sure how dense it needs to be up there... Am I still protecting from even the smallest things up there? Or can it be like 2"x4" welded wire just to stop flying predators? A small part of the top, next to the coop, will be covered with polycarbonate roofing to give them some shelter from rain, but right under the tree it will just have the wire mesh, and if 2"x4" is enough, then the leaves will fall through. Good point about slipperiness though... I'd read that people throw fallen leaves in the run and the chickens scratch and shred them, but maybe that's after they're fully dry? Because the tree stops so much of the water coming down, it doesn't get too wet at the bottom, but I'll keep an eye on it. If it starts getting slippery, I can suck the leaves up with the reverse function of the leaf blower, and then dump the bag back out. The sucking function shreds them into tiny pieces. That's what I usually do to process them some before putting them in the compost anyway.

 

[Mimi13]

T

Because the tree stops so much of the water coming down, it doesn't get too wet at the bottom

Think about the winter time when the leaves will be gone.