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ratio for nesting box

Discussion in 'Coop & Run - Design, Construction, & Maintenance' started by devin mctaggart, Mar 17, 2012.

Most Liked Posts
  1. Mar 17, 2012 #1
    devin mctaggart

    devin mctaggart Out Of The Brooder

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    Mar 16, 2012
    If the ratio for the nesting boxes are 1 for every 5-8 hens where do they all sleep.
    I know in our coup that we have five hens and a rooster and at night
    If u go in there that the hens are in the boxes. ( but we have 13 of them). Thats how we are going off how many we should have??
     
  3. Mar 17, 2012 #2
    fuzziecreatures

    fuzziecreatures Chillin' With My Peeps

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    They should sleep on roosts if you have them, if they sleep in the nest boxes, they tend to poop in em
     
  5. Mar 18, 2012 #3
    Chikenranchtex

    Chikenranchtex Out Of The Brooder

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    Mar 17, 2012
    This is an interesting factoid....... I thought you needed as many boxes as you have hens....... Must do further research on this.
     
  7. Mar 18, 2012 #4
    Cargo

    Cargo Chillin' With My Peeps

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    Farmington, NM
    Chickens usually sleep at the highest point they can reach in the coop. So most of us add a roost that sits higher than the nest boxes.
     
  9. Mar 18, 2012 #5
    jdeoliveira74

    jdeoliveira74 Chillin' With My Peeps

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    I believe the math is 4 chickens to a nest box I built 4 in my coop and only have 8 birds going on 7 cause one so far is turning out to be a boy..
     
  11. Mar 18, 2012 #6
    Egghead_Jr

    Egghead_Jr Overrun With Chickens

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    Nesting box to chicken ratios are kind of funny. If you provide more boxes they still only use one. We have a coop that could hold eight chickens so have two nesting boxes attached. They all lay in one, sometimes all lay in the other. On the rare occasion a hen is taking far to long and the next in line just can't wait. It like having two bathrooms, you really only need the one excepting for emergencies and convenience.
     

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