Planning on single nest boxes & a community box

[Knock Kneed Hen]

We're working on the interior of the coop now...so exciting! I am thinking about putting in two single nest boxes and one community nest box. The community box will be just a bit wider than two of the single boxes. I currently have about 20 hens. Is this the same as 3 boxes or do I count it as 4?

 

[greenpeeps]

With 20 hens I would have a least 4 nesting boxes. Mine seem to lay withing minutes of each other.

 

[Backyard_Chicken_rancher]

Unless it is the size of three put togther you can only count it as 1 nest box it's just a little wider.

 

[Nostalchic]

Hi KKH! My community nest boxes are 4 1/2 feet long, and there are two of them, one on top of the other, which the hens have arranged into a total of 6 laying 'areas' - scooped out and feathered. I have 26 hens, and that seems to work out well for them.

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

Well, I blew it then

I guess I'm just going to have to make them all singles or one big community box.

I had planned for two 14 x 14's and one 14 x ~30, thinking that would make up for two. Glad I double checked my logic

I have 60 inches to work with (minus the thickness of the walls and dividers of the boxes).

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't know if this thread will help you or not. It probably won't hurt for you to read it. I've never seen any formula to show how many hens a certain sized community nest box will handle. I'm sure it is not an exact science and I'm sure there are many different styles that work. If you do go with one long one, remember that they need more than one access point. You say you have 60" length to work with. Do you have more than 14" the other way to work with? If you could make it 18" instead of 14", that would give you an extra 240 square inches in a community nest box. That is real close to the equivalent of two extra nests.

Community Nesting Boxes
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=173767

Good luck!

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

Quote:
Thanks, this was a great help! Just when I think I have it all figured out there are yet more decisions to be made!!