ratio for nesting box

[devin mctaggart]

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??

 

[fuzziecreatures]

They should sleep on roosts if you have them, if they sleep in the nest boxes, they tend to poop in em

 

[Chikenranchtex]

This is an interesting factoid....... I thought you needed as many boxes as you have hens....... Must do further research on this.

 

[Cargo]

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.

 

[jdeoliveira74]

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..

 

[Egghead_Jr]

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.