Round Hole Nesting Boxes

[aart]

Anyone have these that could take measurements of the hole for me?

I love the old galvanized nest boxes with the round holes in front, can't afford to buy those and most I've seen would be way too big for my planned coop... so I am going to make them out of wood.

They will be approx. 16" tall x 14" wide x 14" deep inside, I know kinda bigger than usual...but not sure how big to cut the holes on the front....I'm thinking about 10" diameter.

So, if anyone who has them would measure theirs I sure would appreciate it!

TIA

 

[Weasleymum]

I am planning to do 12" diameter round entrance holes to the nest boxes. I have some girls that are going to be pretty big (buff Orps) so I thought, better a little roomy than them having to squish through the hole, or worse, refuse to use the boxes! The boxes themselves will be something like 14" deep by 16" wide by 16" tall.

 

[aart]

Thanks Weasley....will edit to add mine are 14" deep also...did you get the 12" diameter from a plan somewhere?
I thought the 10" diameter would make it cozier in there.

 

[Weasleymum]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/bluegrass-coop

I copied the idea from this coop, but now I see it doesn't list the dimensions. Maybe I just guessed?

 

[aart]

So I made the holes 10" diameter...and I just measured a metal one and those holes are 9 1/2".

Here's the finished product:

 

[bayareapilot]

So I made the holes 10" diameter...and I just measured a metal one and those holes are 9 1/2".

Here's the finished product:

What did you cut the round holes with? Looks very precise to have been a jigsaw so I figured you might have used something else?

 

[aart]

What did you cut the round holes with? Looks very precise to have been a jigsaw so I figured you might have used something else?

Nope, just a jigsaw.....with a couple decades of experience steering it.
I did do some rasp and power sander work.
If you look really close, cuts are not that great.

 

[bayareapilot]

All I can say it's rounder than anything I cut with a jigsaw

 

[aart]

All I can say it's rounder than anything I cut with a jigsaw

Lots of experience.....and a deep blade.

 

[bayareapilot]

Lots of experience.....and a deep blade.

By the way since I've got your attention I wanted to ask what is the advantage of the round hole I assume that the hens find it more secure I guess? I've always had the boxes that were wide open with the dividers. I'm building a new coupe a larger one and I'm building at myself instead of a prefab and I wanted to explore the idea of the round openings to nest boxes.