Show us your nest boxes! Ingenous design post it here!

[Bernadine503]

Yes, that's what I started to think too.....but they always use the top nests and NEVER the bottom ones. The biggest problem is they are also using the top nest boxes to roost and perch on, making a bigger mess. I will be putting some kind of slanted top to keep the off. But they are very easy to wash down and clean!

 

[Bernadine503]

I find they like a roof and seem to prefer to be out of view of us or other ladies.. so maybe a cover.. layer of wood. I like the clean-ability of these

Yes, that's what I started to think too.....but they always use the top nests and NEVER the bottom ones. The biggest problem is they are also using the top nest boxes to roost and perch on, making a bigger mess. I will be putting some kind of slanted top to keep the off. But they are very easy to wash down and clean!

 

[twinsmom6]

I just finished this today. Have yet to put it up but my new coop isn't quite done yet.
This is made entirely from left over pieces of wood/ plywood/ T1-11 that I used to build the coop.

I love this one roomy and cozy at the same time. The lip on the front is good too so they don't scratch out the hay or nesting materials while they are getting situated. I find chickens don't bring things into a nesting box to make it more cozy.. they will just lay else where if they don't like it. We used ping pong balls in the nesting boxes and they still prefer to lay in the boxes with the ping pong balls... it even helped me to move one out of a less accessible area to a real nesting box..

 

[twinsmom6]

Yes, that's what I started to think too.....but they always use the top nests and NEVER the bottom ones. The biggest problem is they are also using the top nest boxes to roost and perch on, making a bigger mess. I will be putting some kind of slanted top to keep the off. But they are very easy to wash down and clean!

it is the rule of who's on top.. if your roosts are higher they will go there... I started with sloped roofs on my nesting boxes but even if they have to grip on they prefer the highest spot in the coop.. so they were sleep pooping all on the roofs. I made a higher roost problem solved.

 

[maihem]

I thought pictures might help.
New nesting bins.

Old set up with 5 gal. buckets.

Still looks the same from the coop side.

So, with larger chickens, as aart advised, they had some issues standing up when laying...so we had a bunch of random placements. Also, after watching several hens, I don't think they cared for the cylindrical shape for walking on. The bedding/nesting material would shift around on them when they went in and turned around. While egg production is still slow for winter, the new flat bottom bins and additional standing room seems to have redirected the random placements where they should be and not in the coop or run as regularly found before...or they're just hiding things from me.

 

[aart]

I thought pictures might help.
New nesting bins.


So, with larger chickens, as aart advised, they had some issues standing up when laying...so we had a bunch of random placements. Also, after watching several hens, I don't think they cared for the cylindrical shape for walking on. The bedding/nesting material would shift around on them when they went in and turned around. While egg production is still slow for winter, the new flat bottom bins and additional standing room seems to have redirected the random placements where they should be and not in the coop or run as regularly found before...or they're just hiding things from me.

I observed that also.

Is pic showing where birds enter nests.....how high is that opening??

 

[maihem]

I observed that also.

Is pic showing where birds enter nests.....how high is that opening??

It's the outside of the coop, egg collection door is completely open, the birds enter from the other side. The egg collection opening is about 4" high.

 

[aart]

Quote: I thought it might be the egg collection side, but that wasn't clear.

 

[junkman56]

 

[MrPerkyJ]

We don't have our little ladies yet, but I'm covering a room in our crib barn into half their coop. I'm going to have a "doggy door"that's going to have a slide gate that opens up into a screened 12x20x8 coop.