Rubbermaid or milk crate

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Do you sit your crates top up or open out to the front? I just acquired nine of those to use in the new coop.

 

[Cetawin]

Lay them on their side with the opening facing out, putting some hay in there and voile'

 

[Matt A NC]

Quote:
I put 2 screws through the top edge and into the wall with the top up. This allows me to place them at different levels. About half full of hay and I am done. Don't have to worry about them pulling the hay out at all.

Matt

 

[WestKnollAmy]

My bantam Cochins couldn't fit in the 5 gal buckets to lay and wouldn't use them. I think thier butts are too big!
I had some old poultry crates that we laid on the sides and they love those but I also put a rubber feed tub left over from my horses in there and they like to lay in that as well as those plastic storage units from Dollar General that have the lip on the front.
My Araucanas won't lay in anything. They use corners of the coop and build their own nest. I guess they are stating their independence! Rotten creatures.

 

[JennsPeeps]

Our coop has wooden nesting boxes and we've put dish pans filled with shavings as liners. I figured that someday - when the girls decide to start laying - that it'll be easy to clean out: just remove the dish pan and dump it out.

 

[ams3651]

Quote:
thats what I plan to do for just that reason. for now, when one of my EE's suddenly started laying, I am using a large drawer from a camper my son dismantled. I told him to save whatever he could. I just took a cabinet door and cut it to be able to slide in and make it 2 sections. I put one of her eggs in and she's been using it for over a week now.

 

[sweetshoplady]

Don't laugh but I have a broody in my bathtub in a cardboard box. My hens seem to like cardboard boxes. I have several that use a cardboard box that I put some hay in.

I had a hen go broody in a 5 gallon bucket too. Had no roo at the time so she was really dreaming.

 

[Sandrachx]

we have 6 nesting boxes neatly mounted on the wall filled with shavings. easy height for me to look in and they look like they would be quite comfortable. too bad the girls don't think the same - also have a plastic potato bin filled with shavings on the floor for the silkie youngsters and the frizzle cochin who can't fly to the nesting boxes. also looks like a good idea - very accomodating.

i have to stop thinking like a human and start thinking like a chicken. my girls go into the darkest corner BEHIND the cute plastic potato bin, UNDER the poop tray and lay their eggs.

 

[Yardegg]

I feel you, people. I spent over $200 on wal-mounted roll out nests (10 holes), and my birds would rather lay almost anywhere else. I've had it for five or six years, and several generations of chickens. Mine prefer old apple crates with shavings in the bottom, but I'm building a new coop and am going to use some version of the plastic bucket design. Those wooden crates are louse and mite magnets. I want to be able to wash them out weekly with hot water and Lysol, so plastic seems to be the way to go in my situation. For years I have built birdhouses for various species of wild birds. I have found that the more time and effort I put into building the birdhouse, the less likely the birds are to build in it. Chickens, after all, are birds.

Always thinking,

Yardegg