Wood vs. plastic for nest boxes?

[NNYchick]

How do you chop your straw?

You can buy chopped straw. I buy it at tractor supply.

 

[LikeTurkeys]

I have the 5 gallon bucket kind. Photo of a broody in one of the buckets, I'll get a full pic some other time.

 

[paintedChix]

I can do more than imagine, have cleaned many broken eggs out of my wooden nest, used a damp rag a few times...then put pieces of vinyl in bottom of nests, easy to lift the entire mess out and rinse off vinyl...extra piece of vinyl makes for a quick change and time for washed piece to fully dry.

Using feed bags as liners would work as well. Having them run up the sides of the nest a bit, makes it easy to grab & remove, dump & rinse off if needed. If feed bags are paper (some of ours are), & rinsing doesn't work, they join the compost heap along w/ soiled bedding.

A 3rd option. Don't know what you have access to. Use a wood composite board. Looks like wood, is not. Heavier than real wood, some is difficult to cut & drive screws through. Use pilot holes. Backfill cracks, seams, etc, with product that will prevent mites from getting in & keep water out. Not sure what you would use. Defintely more expensive option, but would work for both looks & less spots for mites to hide.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/MoistureSh...rthtone-Grooved-Composite-Deck-Board/50424240

I have not yet found the best nest boxes. No matter what I've used, I always end up w/ eggs on the floor of coop &/or out in the run. With free ranging birds, I have had eggs in many interesting places, LOL!

 

[Manhen]

Using feed bags as liners would work as well. Having them run up the sides of the nest a bit, makes it easy to grab & remove, dump & rinse off if needed. If feed bags are paper (some of ours are), & rinsing doesn't work, they join the compost heap along w/ soiled bedding.

A 3rd option. Don't know what you have access to. Use a wood composite board. Looks like wood, is not. Heavier than real wood, some is difficult to cut & drive screws through. Use pilot holes. Backfill cracks, seams, etc, with product that will prevent mites from getting in & keep water out. Not sure what you would use. Defintely more expensive option, but would work for both looks & less spots for mites to hide.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/MoistureSh...rthtone-Grooved-Composite-Deck-Board/50424240

I have not yet found the best nest boxes. No matter what I've used, I always end up w/ eggs on the floor of coop &/or out in the run. With free ranging birds, I have had eggs in many interesting places, LOL!

Remove attractive nesting places. A round coop.

 

[Manhen]

You can buy chopped straw. I buy it at tractor supply.

LOL. With 50 bale in storage. I need to chop

 

[HollyWoozle]

A 3rd option. Don't know what you have access to. Use a wood composite board. Looks like wood, is not. Heavier than real wood, some is difficult to cut & drive screws through. Use pilot holes. Backfill cracks, seams, etc, with product that will prevent mites from getting in & keep water out. Not sure what you would use. Defintely more expensive option, but would work for both looks & less spots for mites to hide.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/MoistureSh...rthtone-Grooved-Composite-Deck-Board/50424240

I have not yet found the best nest boxes. No matter what I've used, I always end up w/ eggs on the floor of coop &/or out in the run. With free ranging birds, I have had eggs in many interesting places, LOL!

Interesting idea too, thank you! I could always set my other half the task of making something this way.

LOL. With 50 bale in storage. I need to chop

I buy mine already chopped too I'm afraid. I'm in the UK and it's readily available here as bedding for horses, poultry etc. I do know that there are various methods for chopping your own using lawnmowers, wood chippers, leaf mulchers and so on but I'm not sure how effective they are.

 

[aart]

LOL. With 50 bale in storage. I need to chop

Might be able to rent a straw chopper, or buy one if you've got a few spare $K's around.

 

[MountainWoman73]

My hens' favorite nests are two wicker cat beds I bought at Goodwill for a couple dollars. I mounted them on top of existing perches with screws and washers, and they've lasted pretty well for 2 years. (A super dry climate helps.) They won't last forever, but I figure I'll keep an eye out for free cat beds and baskets, and these can be tossed in the woodstove whenever I find replacements.

 

[alex5chickens]

Good morning from Bedfordshire, UK.

I would love to hear your opinions on nest boxes please! Currently we have two pairs of traditional wooden nest boxes which have been in the chicken shed for most of my life. They are lovely and the chickens like them well enough but they are starting to disintegrate and I am wondering what to replace them with. Do many of you use plastic boxes?

Since our chicken coop is an old shed, most of it is wood. This last summer I had a constant, very tough battle with mites and I think that replacing wood for plastic where possible would help me, plus would be more hygienic for cleaning. However there is something so nice about the traditional wood boxes (they also look nice but that's a minor consideration). I did consider getting some more wood ones and then maybe using some sort of plastic tray/liner as a compromise.

What do you like best?

I like wooden boxes. I line mine with straw and put curtains up to give the hens privacy.

 

[kiwi-chick]

How do you chop your straw?

I use the lawn mower to chop my straw when I need it.
I use just plain old boxes I made out of scrap wood.

EDIT: The nests sit under the poop board.