Question on nest boxes

[Royd]

I'm sure there must be a reason behind it, because all of the nest boxes, I've seen, seem to have partitions.

My brainstorm is to make a simple, long, V shaped trough, out of wood, or maybe, find some 30 gallon, plastic drums and just split them in half.
Then, I would fill them with grass or straw, and let the chickens pick their spot.
Is this a disaster, waiting to happen, due to the hens getting territorial, or would they all just have a good old, egg laying session?

 

[fordmommy]

Well-the average size of a nesting box is supposed to be 1x1x1. You supposed to have 1 nesting box for every 4 chickens. So-how you design it, probably be just fine. Chickens aren't as particual as us humans are. This is what I have for nesting boxes. Hope this helps.

 

[CheerfulHeart2]

do a search on community nest boxes. There is a fun thread about show me your community next boxes that has some fun photos of no partition boxes. All kinds of things seem to work fine.

 

[CheerfulHeart2]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=173767&p=1

Here's that thread. The first picture posted is a treasure. There a lot of non-partition ideas.

 

[Royd]

Well, I am a carpenter, but building partitioned boxes, for privacy sake, or whatever, seems like a huge waste of time and material, if a communal laying area, would suffice.

 

[jjdward]

If there is anything I have learned about raising chickens it is that chickens haven't read the "rule book on raising chickens". I have 18 laying hens and they only use 2 or 3 nests out of 8. They will do what ever they want!!!!!

I think your nest sounds like a good idea.

 

[Judy]

I'm definitely not spending money on nest boxes. Most anything you can build from a few scraps, or have laying around, will work.

I have an open wooden box that I got for free about 30 years ago. It has been used for several things over the years. It's about 12"x16"x36," open on the long end. Stuck one partition in it and it is the base of my nesting boxes. They won't use it, although when it was in my other coop, those hens often did. Since each nest is about 18" wide, often there would be two in there together. On top of that is one the same size but partitioned into 3 boxes, built out of some OSB scraps. They use those some. But mostly they use the 2 plastic open top bins sitting on the floor; one is the top of a covered kitty litter box (cat wouldn't use the litter box til I removed the cover) and the other a storage bin of similar size.

In my other coop I have an ancient open wooden box about the size of a nest box, also free. Added a short panel across the bottom front to hold hay in, and for over a year it was their favorite. Later added one I duct taped together out of a cardboard box, when I needed to put the wooden one in a broody pen. Now that flock only uses the cardboard box.

If I needed more, I'd recycle some of the 5 gallon buckets with lids around here, or whatever else I found laying around, or go collect more cardboard boxes.

 

[Royd]

I also thought of the 5 gallon buckets. I have tons of large bamboo, growing in my backyard. A gardener's delight, btw. My thought was to place 3 lengths of bamboo, in such a manner, as to hold a line of 5 gallon buckets, tipped at about a 20 degree angle. Then, I wouldn't have to worry about cutting the tops. Simply put some leaf litter or grass clipping in it for nesting material.