Wood vs. plastic for nest boxes?

[Princesschicken1]

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 think you should use both wooden and plastic So your chickens can choose which type they want .

 

[Manhen]

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 think it is more WHERE you put it, next would be what you put in it. Color in general might matter, that is a good question also no?

 

[Manhen]

I think you should use both wooden and plastic So your chickens can choose which type they want .

Ahh, the peacemaker.

 

[aart]

I think you should use both wooden and plastic So your chickens can choose which type they want .

Ehhhh, IMO all nests should be the same, or favoritism may take over.
..and, really, it's not about what the chickens want.

@HollyWoozle was thinking, maybe you could just replace the bottoms of nests?

 

[HollyWoozle]

I think having them all the same is probably a good idea too. I do recall that for a time we had a plastic cat crate in there and I removed it in the end because the hens were having mega battles about who was going in. I guess that actually answers the question of what they might like.

@aart, replacing the bottoms would be a good plan except that the top of one box pair is also coming apart (it is made a series of planks which slot together and one keeps coming loose) so I guess I'll have to replace that whole thing anyway. I am now leaning towards some new wooden boxes with lino/plastic/rubber lining or perhaps wicker because I think our hens would really like those, but I guess I would like them too.

In terms of placement as @Manhen mentions, I think that is also something I should think about. We only have 3 or 4 girls laying at the moment and they all use one pair of boxes on one side of the coop. The other box pair goes untouched so I'm assuming they don't like where it is... no problem at the moment but would be handy to have more in use when more girls come back into lay. I read that off the ground but lower than the perches is preferable so that's what I go for!

ETA: maybe I should run a test and line up a wood box, a plastic box and a wicker one all with the same lining and nesting material just out of interest!

 

[kiwi-chick]

I think having them all the same is probably a good idea too. I do recall that for a time we had a plastic cat crate in there and I removed it in the end because the hens were having mega battles about who was going in. I guess that actually answers the question of what they might like.

Actually... position makes a difference, as does whether it is enclosed or not... as for the rest... not so much.

 

[aart]

Anything can work for a nest as long as it's easily accessible and they feel 'safe'.

 

[gtaus]

Could you show a picture of the dish pans? I can’t picture what kind you mean...

Little bit late to this thread, but I use plastic dish pans for my nest boxes and it has been working out great for me.

Here is a picture of three plastic dish bins sitting on a wooden rail system inside the coop. I added anti-tip bars underneath the bins so the hens won't tip over the bin when coming in/going out.

There are many advantages to this system, but first and foremost is the ease of cleaning any bin if required. These bins are not attached to the rail system, so if you need to clean a bin, you simply pull it off. If you need to replace a bin, you just drop another one on the rail. If you have a broody hen and you need to isolate her and the eggs, you can simply pick her up with the bin and eggs all together and move them together.

Here is a picture of how I harvest my eggs from the outside of the coop.

I have a simple hinged drop down access panel that I lower and reach in for the eggs. Again, there are advantages to this system in that I can remove/replace any bin or bins from either the outside or the inside of the coop.

Here in the US, we can get these plastic dish bins at our local Dollar Store for only $1.00. I use these handy bins for lots of projects around the house because they last forever, but cheap if for some reason you have to replace them. Someone said their plastic bins crack in the cold weather, but my plastic dish pan nest box bins have not cracked at all this winter with temps down to -22F (-30C).

At any rate, these plastic dish bins have worked just great for me and I would highly recommend them to anyone considering their options.

 

[morsekathan]

I use cardboard to line the boxes. I just take the cardboard liner out and throw them away when I need to clean. However, I love the idea of using vinyl liners that I can sponge off and reuse. I hate having to cut the cardboard to fit!

 

[morsekathan]

Over the ten years that I have had hens, I tried all types of bedding for the nest boxes - hay, straw, pine needles. The girls hated them all and within minutes of cleaning out the boxes and replacing the bedding would throw it all out. It meant they were always laying on bare wood (actually on cardboard liner) and sometimes the eggs would break. Recently, on someone's recommendation, I started using wood chips designed for small animal bedding. They love it! No more broken eggs. Who knew hens could be so fussy!