Nesting boxes

[strohman]

My wife and I are getting ideas for building a small coop. We are in the city limits so we are limited to 5 or 6 chickens. When you build a coop, do you need a nesting box for each bird? I see a lot of designs with only 3 nesting boxes. What is the minimum number needed?

 

[Backyard Hencam]

For five or six hens, you only need two nest boxes. Only once in a while do more than one hens need a nest at the same time. See our design for nest boxes at the sites below. Good luck!

 

[Farmer Pete]

I have 2 nesting boxes with 5 birds laying, and all 5 birds lay in one nesting box, so you only need a couple. But you definitely don't need one per bird. What types of chickens are you looking into getting?

 

[strohman]

Thanks for the quick reply! Only needing 2-3 nesting boxes will make the coop easier to build!

I don't know what kind of birds we will be getting yet. We are still checking our options for what is available.

 

[Hokum Coco]

We are limited to 5 or 6 chickens. Two 1ft³ boxes will be plenty or one community box 2ft³ or larger.