Nesting boxes or laying boxes offer chickens a cozy place to
lay their eggs. They range from the simple to the elaborate.
I have two chicken coops. One is located in the pasture and it's pretty much closed in. It has built in nesting boxes. Later I'll post pictures of it. Right now I don't have ANY intentions of going in there anytime soon as I saw a HUGE snake in the coop last year. So right now, my focus is our "open air" coop which is located behind the house. I can see the hens in this coop right out of my kitchen window. While I'm doing the dishes. My open air has wire covering for the walls and the frame was built with 4x4's.
Now, initially when I used a rubber tub for my nesting boxes, placed some straw in it and eventually our curious hens got the point and started laying eggs in their new homes.
On occasion the girls would lay eggs throughout the coop. I'd walk in and question the perpetrator,
"Okay, who left their eggs all over the place? Would you pick up after yourselves. Geez."
Currently I'm using the new plastic crates which are "milk crates". They're ventilated, inexpensive and easy to clean. I purchased them at walmart for a buck. I used a jigsaw and carved out a few inches from the top to make it easy for the hens to enter and exit their nesting box. The boxes were then attached to the coop wire to keep them from falling over.
Here's how I made my nesting boxes and a shelf with a perch which will allow the hens easy access to the nest. You can do the same if you have a similar style coop. I used left over scrap wood.
shelf.....
perch.....
nail or screw the perch to the shelf....
flip the shelf over and this is what it looks like when the shelf is
completed....
Take it over to the coop and use two cinder blocks
for the base....
place the nesting boxes on the shelf and then hurry up
and get the wire or fasteners you'll use....
Daaang!!! I told you to hurry up. Look at what they did!
They knocked it over already. Put them back and then
fasten them to the coop.
They knocked it over already. Put them back and then
fasten them to the coop.
Thread the wire through the basket and secure the basket
to keep it from moving...
Make a little plank for the hens to climb up into their
nesting box....
Put some straw in the nest and she'll fluff it up
and make her self comfortable. Isabella, gets so
comfortable in fact, she get's down right evil and starts
squawking if you come too close. So just leaver her alone
in peace....
and she'll leave you some eggs....
Tip: To get your hens to lay eggs in their nesting boxes, place some golf balls in the nest. You can use "practice" golf balls. They're less expensive. This also discourages them from eating eggs which is a bad habit you'll want to break as soon as you notice it. Once they peck an egg and taste it, they may continue the habit. If they peck a golf ball they'll get no results and learn not to peck the eggs.
(note: If you start noticing shells on the coop floor or ground, look for a hen with "egg on her face". You may have to isolate her until she breaks the habit.)
(note: If you start noticing shells on the coop floor or ground, look for a hen with "egg on her face". You may have to isolate her until she breaks the habit.)
You'll want to have at least one nesting box for 5-6 chickens. When you provide enough nesting boxes this also keeps them from eating eggs and pecking one another. They'll have plenty of room for privacy.