Congrats on 5 years!!! I would say stick to the floor. Especially with a Cochin. It'll get crapped in/on regardless - mine does. As long as it's big enough for your chicken to fit her fluffy butt into, it's big enough. I use the plywood one Tractor Supply sells for like $7. Before that, I just used a cardboard box and cut the sides from back to front at a 45 degree angle. I usually leave a 2 inch wall at the front so the straw stays in. I just use Timothy hay, and my hen makes happy little clucky noises as she moves the hay around to make her ideal nest. Yours will probably end up sleeping in there as well. I took the perch out of my coop entirely because mine don't use it at all anymore. As far as a lid, some birds like them, some don't. I bought an enclosed one at first, and my hen refused to go anywhere near it. Open is usually the way to go anyway, since more light = more eggs! My little sizzle is currently on a 9 day streak!Hey guys! My account turned 5 years old today! Woo-hoo! I'm attempting to encourage my chicken to lay eggs. Any advice on where I can put a nestbox in my indoor chicken's cage? It is kind of small so I'm hoping to put it in the best spot possible. If I put it in either of the 2 back corners it will get pooped on from the roost perch. If I put it either of the 2 front corners I have to find a new spot for her bottom food bowls. Then i had this idea to put up off of the roost on the one side and then it wouldn't affect her bottom space. However I'm not sure if a chicken will lay in a nest that is off the ground. I can't cut the bars of the cage so I can't hang one on the outside. Oh and how big should a bantam chickens nest box be and should it be covered? I want to make one for her but I need ideas. I was thinking about just a box with a hole in it and a removable lid. Let me know what you think guys!
