Nesting boxes...Inside or Outside???

[Bev in Nevada]

I am choosing to put exterior nest boxes on the "in the process of being converted 12x12 shed to hen house" so my 86 yr old Father or a neighbor can collect eggs for me when I am out of state (twice a month) with more ease than going inside and maybe tripping over chickens or stepping in poo while doing so. I have no clue if I will like them or not, But figure that I will continue to go inside to collect/clean daily. The reason I am going with exterior vs exterior access is because someone made them for me, all I have to do is put them up. *IF* I had to build, it would have been some sort of crude trap door thing that would make any carpenter ill just looking at it.

 

[catchthewind]

The way my coop is set up and with all the vegetation and such around it, it's actually easier for me to have interior boxes. I could probably put an access hatch at the back, but it would be more work to duck around vegetation than to just go into the coop. Plus, currently we don't have have an auto door, so we'll have to go into the coop to open the pop door and check food/water anyway.

I never thought about neighbours collecting eggs when I go away though. We're fairly rural though, so I assume anyone who we would ask to come would not be turned off by a bit of chicken poo.

 

[JohnBob]

Just wanted to say thanks for all the imput and ideas. Finally decided to go with interior boxes with an exterior access door to the nests. The interior design simplifies the construction for me and the access door will be protected from the weather by a 1 foot roof over hang.

 

[macadam8157]

Can't wait to be getting some eggs out of em' !!!

 

[Stevenson]

I chose to add an exterior nesting box to my coop for a couple of reasons...

#1 My wife has some health issues and I don't want her to have to enter the coop to get eggs when I am not around
#2 I wanted to maximize the floor space in my 8'x12' coop
#3 I really like the look of exterior boxes

Note: my coop is not complete yet

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=456460

 

[Christie Rhae]

Just my two cents. We built our chicken mansion last summer and put exterior boxes in because we were worried about taking up space inside the hen house. I am already designing my new chicken coop to built this summer ( moving houses..long story) and I am definitely not doing exterior boxes again. They really were a bear to build and yup...leak in heavy rain. On my new coop we will install 8 interior nest boxes with an access door from the outside of course.

We have learned so much from building our first coop and having chickens this past year. We are going to make lots of changes. Just did not really understand so many things until we experienced for ourselves. Even tho I did TONS of research I guess sometimes experience trumps book knowledge.

 

[thetigress]

I have never tried to do exterior nesting boxes. Our coop has a fold down sides so it has easy cleaning and nesting boxes like a small bookshelf on its side. We cut small round holes in the back so we can fold down the door and reach in the holes from the back and grab the eggs without going into the coop or run. It is also a plus for ventilation on those hot days where we can keep the side down but the chickens can't get out. Works out great for us and our children to collect the eggs daily.

 

[JayRodNU]

Would love for some additional input here. My specific situation: am in San Diego so temperature are always mild. The coop I inherited has wooden siding so to make an external hatch would be really complex. Instead I am thinking I might take easy way out and just back nesting boxes up against the fence of the run with an external hatch here. Any concerns with this approach? Will the location affect the production at all? (Much better light outside my very shady/dark coop btw)

 

[thetigress]

The lighting is not really a concern for you could put a small light in the coop. We have one of those extension cord lights that you use for maintenance on a car. That you hook to the hood, and a wire cage around the light so it doesn't break. We hooked it up to the roof of the coop in the back with an eye hook, never had a problem. With the season changes and the daylight hours shorter, we supplement their lighting and get more eggs. It is said that chickens perfer dark areas to lay but ours loves the brightness of laying near the light. It also helps produce a little bit more heat in the winter months too.