Tips and recommendations for roll-away nests

FlyWheel

Crowing
6 Years
Mar 19, 2016
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My Coop
My Coop
Hi

I'm planning on designing a pair of roll away nesting boxes to (hopefully) put a stop to my hens' sudden craving for their own eggs. I have searched here and watched some YouTube videos on the subject but I still have a few questions.
  1. What (if anything) do you line the nesting area with? I've heard of people using AstroTurf, but I've also heard that the eggs can get hung up in it and not roll. I also would like something that is easy to clean.
  2. If you do cover the nest area with something, where can I find it?
  3. What angle do you recommend for the nesting surface and the type of covering you're using? Obviously it has to be steep enough so the eggs will roll, but not too steep or the hens may not be comfortable enough and might not use it.
  4. Anything else you can suggest will be appreciated.
 
The cages used for production eggs are set with a forward slant of 5 degrees, the eggs come out the front of the "nest box" and slip onto a U shaped rubber tray which may or may not also be slanted towards one end of the row for gathering.

Just about any "soft" material should work for cushioning. The short, artificial turf plastic stuff would work or even cushioned indoor/outdoor carpet should work. There should not be any "straight down" drop in the eggs path.
 
Hi

I'm planning on designing a pair of roll away nesting boxes to (hopefully) put a stop to my hens' sudden craving for their own eggs. I have searched here and watched some YouTube videos on the subject but I still have a few questions.
  1. What (if anything) do you line the nesting area with? I've heard of people using AstroTurf, but I've also heard that the eggs can get hung up in it and not roll. I also would like something that is easy to clean.
  2. If you do cover the nest area with something, where can I find it?
  3. What angle do you recommend for the nesting surface and the type of covering you're using? Obviously it has to be steep enough so the eggs will roll, but not too steep or the hens may not be comfortable enough and might not use it.
  4. Anything else you can suggest will be appreciated.
 

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