New nest boxes, hope they work!

[bmanty]

I would like to thank people for the ideas from here and Google images of making nesting boxes out of five gallon buckets. (I can never think of things on my own to often that are really creative)

It sure beats paying 60 to 200 for a super nesting box from online retailers.

I get my buckets for free at work and what I did was used my jigsaw power tool and cut 3/4 of the lid off. I took the liner from under the lid and glued that to the lid so its a little padded when they hop in and out.

I then screwed them into the wall of the coop (Tip, use a small power drill and give yourself enough room to put one or both hands with your drill in the bucket to hold the screws in place and get them where you want them)

I hope they use them, this pic is maybe 5 minutes after completion. I did put an egg from the fridge in one as a decoy (I heard if they see eggs they then know that is where laying is to be)
I was just tired of eggs on the floor, getting dirty and broken, hope this works.

 

[Little Chicken Girl]

Egg-cellent idea!
My hens used to love laying in bulk size scoop-away boxes turned on the side
(which looked like a slightly, but not much more, squared version of what you are using).
My hens did not have the sanest preferences though... they also liked laying in toolboxes when they could manage sneaking into the garage.
Hope that it works as good as it looks!

 

[bmanty]

I did have some boards I made a top, bottom, sides, and dividers, but they never used them, just went to the corner of the coop.I also would leave the big bag of fresh bedding down and they made their way into that to lay. So now that is put and away, the hutch is closed to get ready for babies and the not so good board boxes I made last year are gone, so their options are limited now. I hope they stop laying on the floor under their roosts, I didnt over do the bedding on the floor either when I cleaned the coop today...We will see.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I use to have a never ending supply of metal blasting-powder cans that were almost perfect for a 4 to 4 1/2 pound hen or pullet. And they were deep enough that they gave the hen a real sense of security Well at least I thought that they did, mainly because I never had a hen file a grievance with the shop steward.

 

[aart]

Are those supported underneath?
Just screwing the bottom of bucket to the wall may not hold up.
Those look like 7 gal buckets.....deeper than the 5's.

Anyway...my birds didn't like them, even my smallest LF.
not enough room to turn around without bending the tail in half.

Putting different bedding in the nests than is on the floor may help too.

 

[bmanty]

Are those supported underneath?
Just screwing the bottom of bucket to the wall may not hold up.
Those look like 7 gal buckets.....deeper than the 5's.

Anyway...my birds didn't like them, even my smallest LF.
not enough room to turn around without bending the tail in half.

Putting different bedding in the nests than is on the floor may help too.

Thanks, they may be 7, I am just so used to calling a bucked 5 gallon. I have nothing underneath yet which if need be I may do but I put 4 to five wall screws in and I put plenty pressure from myself on them and they held up....time will tell. They have not been laying at all for the last 3 weeks (maybe the cold here in MN) so I cleaned up and hope this works. I have a fail safe nexting box and options for them too if need be but I want to keep eggs off the ground and looked for the cheaper way out.