Will this nesting box set up work?

[Heidi65]

Ok, all of our girls are almost 16 weeks old. I'm not quite sure what the signs are for getting ready to lay so we went ahead and put thier nesting boxes in.

We lucked out and all our "girls" ended up being girls Right now when you pet them they all go down to the ground. We have a couple that just love to lay down a lot.

Any way, I have a couple pictures I want to show you of inside of their nesting/roosting area. Each box is 11" wide x 12" deep x 14" high.

Do you think the girls will have issues getting into the boxes? Above the boxes is the poop board and it sticks out a lot further than the boxes. As you can see we have limited space because we have a door there. We tried putting them into a box when put the boxes in last night and they couldn't get out fast enough!

You can see in my sig what breeds we were told we have. My hubby thinks that one of our Ameraucans is actually an Easter Egger so we will so.

Opinions? Ideas?

Heidi in Az

 

[Bush Farms]

Are they in your house

 

[Heidi65]

Hi,

Yes, this is the set up they have been in since they have out grew the box then the tote. Only difference is we just put the nesting boxes in under the poop tray yesterday, which is why I'm wondering if it will work or not.

Thank you for any input!

Heidi

 

[TalkALittle]

Wow! In the house, eh? I know people keep house chickens but could never envision myself doing it. Have you done anything to protect the walls from poop splatters and floor from moisture?

 

[Ridgerunner]

They should not have any trouble getting into those nests but I’m concerned about the height of the lip. When hens lay they often scratch a lot, trying to get the nesting material just right. If the lip is too low they can scratch out all the bedding and even fake eggs and real eggs if another hen has already laid in that nest.

Often about a week before they are ready to lay pullets start looking for a good place to make a nest. They will probably explore in there and scratch around. If you find your bedding on the floor you probably need to raise the lip two or three inches. I’ve had hens that size use a nest with an opening only 6” high so you should have plenty of room to raise the lip. I normally make the opening 8” high.

Hens and pullets like to lay where other chickens are laying. If they see an egg in the nest they probably think it is a good safe place to lay. I suggest you put a fake egg in each nest to help guide them to your nests. I use golf balls but others use ceramic or wooden eggs, plastic Easter eggs, some even use ping pong balls but that is probably better for bantams. Plastic Easter eggs are really light and fly around when they are scratching so you might want to fill those with sand and glue them shut if you go that route.

I very much agree with you putting the nests in before they start to lay. Where they lay their first controlled egg is where they will make their nest. If the nests are not available you are training them to lay somewhere besides your nests. Also if you have a problem with your nests like they are scratching the bedding out or want to sleep in them you can fix the problem before you get poopy eggs.

Good luck!

 

[MysteriaSdrassa]

Looks like it should work well

 

[junebuggena]

You might want to make your roost bar a bit wider. Heavier breeds like Rocks and Orpingtons like to have their feet flat when they sleep.

 

[rgunn1]

Hens and pullets like to lay where other chickens are laying. If they see an egg in the nest they probably think it is a good safe place to lay. I suggest you put a fake egg in each nest to help guide them to your nests. I use golf balls but others use ceramic or wooden eggs, plastic Easter eggs, some even use ping pong balls but that is probably better for bantams. Plastic Easter eggs are really light and fly around when they are scratching so you might want to fill those with sand and glue them shut if you go that route.

Here is a fairly inexpensive option from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/6Pcs-Wooden-F...pebp=1434476027898&perid=0B1P6481HYHEV1ZSRR8G

 

[Heidi65]

Here is a fairly inexpensive option from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/6Pcs-Wooden-Faux-Children-Kitchen/dp/B00IUNC8QI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1434476026&sr=8-1&keywords=wooden+eggs&pebp=1434476027898&perid=0B1P6481HYHEV1ZSRR8G

Thank you for this! I had ordered some but they were plastic and wouldn't be in until the end of July so I went ahead and just ordered these. A couple of the reviewers said they got an assortment of colors so I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that maybe I will too since my girls lay all different colors too

Hubby said he built the front lip based on the nesting boxes you can buy. We will keep an eye on things and if necessary put a taller lip on the front.

Thank you everyone for the tips and advise.

 

[rgunn1]

Thank you for this! I had ordered some but they were plastic and wouldn't be in until the end of July so I went ahead and just ordered these. A couple of the reviewers said they got an assortment of colors so I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that maybe I will too since my girls lay all different colors too

No problem. Mine are supposed to show up tomorrow. Gotta love Amazon.