Placement of nesting boxes

[MightyChickenJF]

I bought a group of premade nesting boxes from a feed store, but I am not sure how far off the ground to put them. When I lived in Sacramento the next door neighbors were Ukrainian refugees who fled in the 1990s due to post-Soviet religious persecution, and their homebuilt boxes were around 18-24 inches off the ground with slats of wood used to provide the hen and her new babies a way to get down from their perch. I was wondering if I should do something like this. I was thinking concrete blocks topped with those blocks that have wood tops so I can bolt the boxes down to keep them from flying away in the wind.

 

[saysfaa]

The chickens won't care how high they are.

People usually want them high enough that bedding from the coop floor doesn't fall in very easily. Some people prefer not to bend down to gather eggs. Most people prefer the nests low enough that the roosts are higher so the chickens prefer sleeping on the roosts instead of in the nests - because chickens poop where they sleep several times per night.

Edit add: the hens won't care as they lay or are broody. Chicks hatching in the nest do need a way down (and probably back up) if it is very high.

 

[saysfaa]

Oh. If your question is not how high to put the nests; if it is how to keep them from tipping over in the wind then pictures would help.

I'm having trouble envisioning nests exposed to that much wind. Are the nests not in a coop?

 

[aart]

Oh. If your question is not how high to put the nests; if it is how to keep them from tipping over in the wind then pictures would help.

I'm having trouble envisioning nests exposed to that much wind. Are the nests not in a coop?

Ditto Dat.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The chickens care a lot less than you do. They are adaptable. Think about your comfort and convenience. Some people put boxes on the coop floor, attached so they won't turn over if a hen hops up and sits on the edge when getting in or out. I'd worry more about a hen perching on the edge and turning them over than I would about wind but I also like photos. Sometimes you see things.

Some people put the nests up high enough so they can gather the eggs without bending over, say they have a bad back. I have some nests about 2' off the coop floor and another row about 4' up from the floor. They all get used. Some people have chickens that can't fly, like Silkies or Frizzles. Mine are the size of Rocks, Delaware, or Sussex and can fly. They have no trouble getting up to or down from the four feet high nests.

Mine hatch chicks in either the high or low nests. When it is time for the hen to bring her chicks to the coop floor she tells them to jump and they do. I've never had a chick get hurt doing this. At night instead of returning to the nest the hen takes the chicks to bed on the coop floor, usually in a corner.

 

[MightyChickenJF]

The coop will be separate from the nests. I bought a group of nesting boxes dubbed "Chicken Condo" from a feed store in Sacramento. I will try to get pix of the "condo" this coming weekend-right now it is buried in my shed. Stay tuned...

 

[aart]

The coop will be separate from the nests. I bought a group of nesting boxes dubbed "Chicken Condo" from a feed store in Sacramento. I will try to get pix of the "condo" this coming weekend-right now it is buried in my shed. Stay tuned...

I would like to see this thing...and wonder why have the nests part from the coop?

 

[Molpet]

I agree with everyone's concerns. Also are these waterproof and keep out the rain but still in the wind?

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Reason I place them lower than higher is to avoid bumblefoot. Even though I have a bar to help them jump up and down, some prefer to not use it..... Add me to those curious about how nest boxes are going to be in the wind......

 

[MightyChickenJF]

Pic of future run:

The run area is in the foreground. The area where I live tends to get heavy wind during storms. We're talking 35-40mph sustained, 55-60mph gusts. The coop will be anchored down, of course, but I will need to anchor down the "chicken condo" as well. As for all those curious about the chicken condo, pix will be coming soon, hopefully this weekend.