Wood vs. plastic for nest boxes?

[Manhen]

My birds are all pullets still with the oldest at 6 months so size I can't really address from experience. My roosters are big but they don't get in the nests. From what I have read it won't bother them. All these nests, it seems that folks that put out a straw filled tray have fine success. They sell for about $22 here. Next year I will let you know if any of my fat hens like them.

 

[bmurphy349]

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?

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?

We have both wooden nesting boxes and plastic buckets. The girls prefer the buckets and won’t lay eggs in the wooden nesting boxes. They will also move the straw around and create nests, or sneak over to the baby chick coop and lay there. They really don’t care for the wood...

 

[aart]

We have both wooden nesting boxes and plastic buckets. The girls prefer the buckets and won’t lay eggs in the wooden nesting boxes. They will also move the straw around and create nests, or sneak over to the baby chick coop and lay there. They really don’t care for the wood...

Wonders tho......is it because of the material....or the configuration or the location???

 

[Malamute1]

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?

HollyWoozle, I live in central Florida, USA. My favorite is wood. We get lots of thunderstorms and our humidity is hard on wood. I'm new to having chickens. I have 6 Buff Orpingtons and 3 Ameraucanas

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 wood best. If you paint the nest boxes with urythane. It makes cleaning much easier. 2 or 3 coats, it also helps to inhibit mites n ticks. I'm new to having chickens. I did a lot of reading before getting my girls. When my husband finished putting my coop together I still had a couple weeks before my pullets were ready to be outside fulltime. Hubby put the coop together in our garage. While it was still there I painted the whole interior with urythane. It you check with your local hardware chain, they get mistake paint returns. They sell the paint at a great discount. I was lucky and found a gal of Forrest green solid stain. My husband found a moss green exterior paint. I painted the whole exterior with the 2 colors. While it's nothing exciting it's blends well with the back of our property, and it weather's well. The other advantage is being able to use a pressure washer to clean it every couple months. Plastic trays in the bottom of boxes may help and you could still have wood boxes. Good luck with coop.

 

[AstraChick]

How do you chop your straw?

i use hay for the floor and the nest boxes, i dont chop the hay as the girls like to pull stands out and cover themselves with it while sitting there waiting to lay.
I do chop the hay for the brooder cage with dress making scissors as they are big and strong and cuts through the hay easy. our hardware/feed store does sell bags of chopped hay but for a small amount of time to cut up some hay its much cheaper to buy a few bales of hay and then it can go into the compost for vegi garden.
i was using wood shavings in the brooder cage but the last batch i brought had mites and i have never had a mite problem. bloody pesky little shits.

 

[Manhen]

bloody pesky little sh--s.

How do you really feel?

 

[Duckfarmer1]

i use hay for the floor and the nest boxes, i dont chop the hay as the girls like to pull stands out and cover themselves with it while sitting there waiting to lay.
I do chop the hay for the brooder cage with dress making scissors as they are big and strong and cuts through the hay easy. our hardware/feed store does sell bags of chopped hay but for a small amount of time to cut up some hay its much cheaper to buy a few bales of hay and then it can go into the compost for vegi garden.
i was using wood shavings in the brooder cage but the last batch i brought had mites and i have never had a mite problem. bloody pesky little shits.

Why chop the straw in the brooder, I’m found my chicks love to plays with the long strands...should I be cutting it?

 

[Manhen]

Why chop the straw in the brooder, I’m found my chicks love to plays with the long strands...should I be cutting it?

Easier to remove. I have 4-500 lbs of chickens...I use an aluminum scoop shovel for pine shavings now, hay and hay fork makes a lot more dust. bleh.

 

[AstraChick]

Why chop the straw in the brooder, I’m found my chicks love to plays with the long strands...should I be cutting it?

same as Duckfarmer1 said: so much easier to remove chick poo with the shorter strands and the chicks still love to play and scratch in it. So funny to watch them grab a strand and cherp at the others, then its on with the its mine, no its mine

 

[svh]

This is what I built for the chicks before I took delivery of the chickens from the neighbor ….. Milk crates, with plywood floors, and an anti-poop roof, screwed to the wall.

This, however, is what they (most) prefer ..... My dog house !!! I've since sanitized it, and dragged it into the coop, and although some of my 8 pullets still use the milk crates, most of the girls would rather use the cozy dog house !

I built this before I joined this wonderful forum, and got LOTS of good information from experienced chicken owners, so when spring arrives, I plan on re-doing the entire inside of the coop, and replacing the nest boxes with cozier, easier to clean versions.

On a side note, the dogs don't miss their house AT ALL !!!