That's it, I need NEST BOX PLANS

[Reinbeau]

Chick_a_dee, we bought those windows on sale at Home Depot, they're actually basement replacement windows, they were pretty cheap. There's one on either side of the coop. There's an awning style window at the back we got at a garage sale, and in the front there's a regular window that opens from the bottom - we paid $25 for it a couple of years ago and knew we'd use it somewhere!

As for moving the nest boxes, they'll get over it. Some here had talked about putting anything new into the coop freaking out their birds, I guess ours are so used to us adding new stuff it doesn't phase them a bit. They'll adapt to whatever you end up doing.

 

[bigzio]

Yep, just a simple shelf with a large enough cardboard box or two works great. Simply cut a u opening for the girls, and replace the box when needed. Most will last 6 months no problem.

bigzio

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Quote:
Oo, thank's for the info on the windows! ... We have 4 windows, one on each wall, the coop building was an old ice shed with 3 windows originally, but we added one on the front so it didn't look weird LOL.

We add new things all the time, I just put a new feeder in for the oyster shell, a hanging open top long metal one. My chickens are just retards sometimes, one tried to roost on the new feeder and well....lets just say she ended up on the floor LOL.

 

[Fudgie]

Someone on here used 5 gal buckets and connected them together in a line, I am sure you could stack them like a pile of logs and connect them together as well. It was a sweet easy, cheap idea. Everyone has pickle buckets they want to get rid of!

 

[ams3651]

I just took 2 large dishpans and put them in a drawer salvaged from a camper my son dismantled for the neighbor and sat the thing on the floor. Works for us.

 

[katrinag]

I use 5 gallon bucket and love it. In the spring you just unscrew and wash, ket sit in the sun to dry then screw them back in.

 

[Badhbh]

Yep, buckets here. I got some from the Depot (couldn't find any free, and needed them right away). A bit of scrap wood on the front to keep in the shavings, and viola.

 

[LVVCHAP]

I use 5 gal. buckets. I have four of them for 12 hens and they all prefer to use the same one. I got them at work with lids. About a third of a lid just to hold the shavings in works just fine.

 

[SussexInSeattle]

I love both of the coops shown in the earlier posts in this thread. The 2nd one I wouldn't mind living in myself!

So I finally took pictures of my nest boxes on my cell phone and emailed them to myself, saved them to my photos, but don't know how to get the pic from my photos to this post.

Any suggestions?

 

[Portia]

Here's another idea.
My hens had a couple of nesting sights up on the deck that I needed to weatherproof. A 5 gal rubbermaid with lid on turned upside down with a door cut in the end works great. Leave a 3 inch or so lip on the bottom to hold in the nesting material. You can stack these one on another if necessary. For me it provided weather protection and ease of cleaning..just pop off the lid (bottom) and hose it down. If anyone wants, I'll try to post a picture tomorrow; its a little dark out there right now (and cold..brrrr)