Stand Alone chicken nesting boxes.

[happyfrenchman]

My RIR hens have been evicted from their usual nest box by some Blue Marans pullets that for some reason like to hang in the coop and wind up tossing all the hay out of the nest box. 2nd day with no eggs, I went on an egg hunt, trying to find where they might be laying....I found a nest with 4 eggs in a small box I had filled with straw for a chick that had to be segregated.... (a long story there). Anyway, it occurred to me, would it be possible and even pretty handy to make a couple of boxes, in a small stand alone structure, sort of like a line of doghouses, mounted like those country mailboxes, 4 or 5 in a row, with a lift off lid. Possibly put it near the coop, or more conveniently, put it right near the back door for handy delivery. (they went pretty far to find the little house they laid in).

My question is... has anyone tried this? It seems actually pretty handy and would have other benefits as well. This would be easier and pretty nice if it worked. And I would not have to tear a hole in my coop to make more boxes.

Thanks.

 

[4 the Birds]

Sure you could make mailbox type nest boxes but I would keep your boxes inside the coop. As long as they have easy access and the protection of the coop then you are good to go. My chickens have a couple of sets of nesting boxes but they also like to lay eggs in the goat shed under the loafing bench. I also find a few eggs on rare occasions in the goat hay bin.

 

[happyfrenchman]

Thank you John... my chicken coop is a good size, but I was wanting something separate because the youngsters have been disrupting the older hens by hanging out in the coop in the boxes. (My hens free range all day and come in to lay, but the youngsters have taken to day roosting in the box. I could and was going to enlarge the boxes and make four. It would have entailed undoing the one I have now which is actually pretty nice. Something stand alone perhaps off to the side somewhere... for laying hens only. Then I could make as many as I liked. (13 BCMarans chicks and 4 blue copper pullets.So it is gonna be crowded til I put the roosters in the freezer. My RIR have already been disrupted by the 4 young pullets. The Blacks are still in a chick pen. But they are gonna come out in a couple weeks and it will be crowded. Only older hens would have an interest in a stand alone nest box. I was thinking sort of like a dog house, chicken sized. mount them in a row with some kind of climbing apparatus.

I have had them laying in my shed and also in the garage. So they will go to another site to lay. They would go back in the coop at night and I have a automatic coop door that is my security for the flock. (no pens)

 

[happyfrenchman]

 

[happyfrenchman]

That is what I am imagining. There would be 5 boxes, seperated inside, with one long door in the back to get the eggs. A snakeproof chicken ladder. I would likely put doors on it in the event I had a hen go broody and I wanted to protect her after dark. The idea would be that the chicken coop would be for roosting and food and water. I could have alot more hens if I did not have to worry about roosts over nest boxes. The water is actually through the wall automatic waterer. So I could build as many boxes as I thought I needed. If they would use it. But I get the feeling they would. My hens have laid in a much less nice house since the blue copper pullets have been throwing the hay out of the in coop boxes.