Today we’re going to be talking about chicken nest boxes. What is a chicken nest box and why do you need them? What do you make them out of?
Nest boxes are the area for your laying hens to lay their eggs, so you want to provide them because you want them to feel comfortable enough to lay in one spot over and over again, so that you don’t have to go searching for your eggs.
Chickens naturally want to nest and lay in one area, so you might as well take advantage of that wonderful perk.
Nest Box Overview
Nest boxes are typically roughly one square cubic foot, or 14in by 14in by 14in.
It doesn’t have to be particular. Your chickens are not going to be measuring it, and it just gives them a nice, comfy place to lay.
You want about one nest box for every 4 to 5 chickens, but even if you only have 4 to 5, I still recommend at least having two nest boxes.
Traditional Nest Boxes
After that there’s a few different designs and styles you can choose from, and the main difference is whether you choose a traditional bedded nest box, which is what I have here at the farm, or a rollaway nest box.
Your traditional bedded nest box is going to be a box filled with either shavings or hay or old straw. Something that is soft and cushiony that the chickens can lay in, lay their eggs and give their eggs a soft place so that they do not crack. They are less likely to get cracked if they’re laying on a cushioned surface.
As long as you keep the nest boxes bedded and clean, your eggs will stay nice and clean in that area. Maintenance is very easy, though. We take a few minutes once a month to add some shavings into the nest boxes. We even keep the shavings bag in our coop to make everything super easy.
Roll Away Nest Boxes
A roll away box is a harder platform with a slightly angled where the chicken goes in to lay their egg. Then is rolls the eggs into a protected area.
This is nice because it can keep the eggs cleaner because you don’t have dirty chicken feet coming in and walking all over the other eggs.
And it can really help if you have egg eaters in your flock as the eggs roll away so they won’t be able to eat them.
The bummer about roll away next boxes is it’s really not as comfy and cozy for the chickens.
I know that sounds strange. I love being comfy and cozy myself, and I love that our chickens are able to have a deeply bedded nest box to lay their eggs.
But if you do have those egg eaters, or you’re really struggling with keeping your eggs clean, it could be a really good option for you to put in roll away nest boxes.
If your Eggs are Super Dirty
If you’re having a really hard time keeping your nest boxes clean. What you can do is actually lock your chickens out of them overnight.
Let’s say your chickens are likely to roost and sleep in your nest box. That is so annoying. I really don’t like that, but if you’re having that problem, you can close your nest boxes.
So after you gather, at the end of the day, you can put a board over them or block them somehow.
However, you have to make sure that you get out there early enough in the morning, like 7:00 or 7:30 to open them up so that the chickens can then lay.
If you forget to open the nest boxes, then they won’t be able to lay in there, and then you’ll have eggs all over.
If you only want to be able to do chores once a day, then you can’t do that method. But if you’re willing to go down to the coop in the morning and in the evening to open and then close the nest boxes that can be a really good way to keep everything much cleaner.
Make or Buy Nest Boxes?
You can buy or make nest boxes. I’ve seen everything made from plywood to old crates, empty five gallon buckets tipped on their side.
It really doesn’t have to be anything fancy. The chickens don’t really care as long as it’s a cozy, secluded spot for them. If you have young hens that you’re training to lay in the nest box, check out this video.
I hope this answers to your questions about nest boxes. If you have any more, please feel free to leave them down in the YouTube comments and check out some of my other videos about designing great chicken coops.
