Nesting boxes

[Hokum Coco]

Do nesting boxes have to be off the floor or does it matter? No; I have mine at waist height for my convience.

Nest boxes
In my nest boxes I fold a feed bag to fit (nest boxes are 1 ft³). When a bag gets soiled; fold a new one; pop out the soiled; pop in the new. Feed bags are a nylon mesh bag frozen poop just peels off in below freezing temperatures and just flakes off in summer when left out in the sun to bake and dry.



POOP BOARDS are the "BEST" addition yet. Handles well over ½ of the poop in my set up keeps ammonia smell in check 3½" below roost excellent for catching eggs laid through the night (roost are in cups for easier removal and cleaning). I recently friction fit a piece of vinyl flooring over my poop board.it makes clean up even easier; Pop out; Scrap; Hose; Pop in.

Winter months even easier flex over compost bin DONE!

Easy peasy!.

 

[jetdog]

I would lose the bottom bar, unscrew the nestboxs and lower them close to if not to the floor, keep the top bar but bring it closer to the boxes, they will always want to roost on the highest point they can get to, this will give you more room to make a couple of higher roost.

 

[iwiw60]

Good that you are thinking and I am getting good advise to consider. The landing posts are about 12 inches from the boxes and the boxes are a foot square.

Gayleyy is right...you really don't need that "second-story" set of boxes.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Hens definitely prefer to incubate in a nest box sitting on the floor. My old back on the other hand prefers for my hens to lay anywhere but on the ground. Your mileage may very.

 

[Wol1]

I say try it out. Our nest boxes are about three feet up and they have a three rung ladder up to it. The last rung is about a foot away from the boxes. There is a "lip" about 3 inches wide that they "sidle" along to choose a box. We have 6 boxes for 13 chickens and I have never seen them all in use. We have two birds who cram into one box together by choice whenever one is laying.

Try it out. There will be plenty of time to fine tune it once they are in it. We have made many alterations over time.