Nesting box ideas?

[PhantomSlayer]

Our dresser drawer nesting boxes failed. So I'm looking for ideas to replace it them cheaply. Eventually I dream of rollaway boxes lol

 

[MommyGirl]

I’ve seen lots of different things used. It can be buckets turned on side or bins, or baskets

 

[PhantomSlayer]

I’ve seen lots of different things used. It can be buckets turned on side or bins, or baskets

I've seen storage bins which I'm highly considering but I'm open to seeing other ideas

 

[chickenlover8969]

Ive seen people use milk crates turned on there sides

 

[saysfaa]

I use wooden crates with an osb board at an angle on top (see first picture).

If I didn't like the crates so much, I would lean some sticks against the wall - sort of teepee-pole style. I'd have to play with how to do it but when I leaned several 5'- 6' sticks against the wall for a different purpose, it took about two days before they were all laying under the sticks. I don't remember if I took a picture; I'll add it if I find one - I found one.

Cardboard boxes also work.

 

[nao57]

Well I guess you are doing this for ... Poultry? Opening post didn't have much information on what you were doing.

But you could try looking at other variables.

Could it be that your birds wanted more raw material, ruffage to put into the nesting boxes and didn't have that... and could that have been at fault instead?

And maybe also you could try screening more of the sides of the coup so they don't feel exposed?

I confess more of my experience is with ducks more than chickens... but what I saw with my birds is that they want a spot that feels like a good place to hide. They don't want it to be open. So they like places like under a really big bush with lots of overhang. Or they'd also hide their nests under other things. It has to 'feel safe' for them.

So you could try using these ideas to try to try again. Don't give up! Keep trying. You can also try more than one adaptation as an experiment to see how they think and which they like best. Often its not a thing to throw money at but instead to just try to think about how they act psychologically; needs and fears.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I use cardboard boxes from work for most of them. Have to be replaced somewhat often, but they're free and I'm using them for something other than immediately throwing them away after unpacking stuff at work

 

[SueT]

My chickens all love the milk crates, and abandoned their nice wooden boxes when I set up milk crates, on the floor.
Very easy to take out and clean. I cut out part of one side, so there’s a lip to keep nesting material in. In one coop, I put one on top of the other, and they liked that. The crates are anchored to each other and to the wall.

 

[PhantomSlayer]

Well I guess you are doing this for ... Poultry? Opening post didn't have much information on what you were doing.

But you could try looking at other variables.

Could it be that your birds wanted more raw material, ruffage to put into the nesting boxes and didn't have that... and could that have been at fault instead?

And maybe also you could try screening more of the sides of the coup so they don't feel exposed?

I confess more of my experience is with ducks more than chickens... but what I saw with my birds is that they want a spot that feels like a good place to hide. They don't want it to be open. So they like places like under a really big bush with lots of overhang. Or they'd also hide their nests under other things. It has to 'feel safe' for them.

So you could try using these ideas to try to try again. Don't give up! Keep trying. You can also try more than one adaptation as an experiment to see how they think and which they like best. Often its not a thing to throw money at but instead to just try to think about how they act psychologically; needs and fears.

Yeah I should have clarified alot but I didn't want to be restrained lol. We had 2 tier nesting box with dresser drawers, top had 2 and bottom was a large one. But the birds kept sleeping in it and only laying in the bottom. And I was hoping for it to last till spring but... It collapsed in the fall and they still continue sleeping on it making one side completely unusable. And what put me into overdrive was one day going out to find 2 out of 3 eggs broken open which has me wonder if it was our geese trying to eat them as a few days before there was an egg right outside the nesting box on the floor. I kept in mind variables that we need. When looking at ideas from here and other threads and even just google. And after alot of looking through pictures probably a few hundred and looking at what we have on hand. Decided attempt #2 will be storage totes on a raised shelf. We had multiple issues I wanted to overcome.

Nest box sleepers
Our geese having access
Portable for easy cleaning incase the nest box sleepers are not fixed

Worst case I was willing to go the carboard box route while my mom looked at me like it was the worst idea was possible.


With attempt #2 I still have some worries But I will just have to take the issues as they come.

 

[nao57]

Yeah I should have clarified alot but I didn't want to be restrained lol. We had 2 tier nesting box with dresser drawers, top had 2 and bottom was a large one. But the birds kept sleeping in it and only laying in the bottom. And I was hoping for it to last till spring but... It collapsed in the fall and they still continue sleeping on it making one side completely unusable. And what put me into overdrive was one day going out to find 2 out of 3 eggs broken open which has me wonder if it was our geese trying to eat them as a few days before there was an egg right outside the nesting box on the floor. I kept in mind variables that we need. When looking at ideas from here and other threads and even just google. And after alot of looking through pictures probably a few hundred and looking at what we have on hand. Decided attempt #2 will be storage totes on a raised shelf. We had multiple issues I wanted to overcome.

Nest box sleepers
Our geese having access
Portable for easy cleaning incase the nest box sleepers are not fixed

Worst case I was willing to go the carboard box route while my mom looked at me like it was the worst idea was possible.


With attempt #2 I still have some worries But I will just have to take the issues as they come.

OH interesting. So basically we can give you more information now that we have that information! XD

If you find the eggs have been moved; what you will want to look for is to see if this happens more than once. If its happened more than once then you can have the birds stealing each others eggs to sit on but not to eat. If the eggs are broken open but not being moved then it can be an egg eater. You solve the egg eater situation with putting hard golf balls out there to train them to not eat them. But losing eggs can be the mothers fighting over the eggs, of wanting to both be moms also. (No idea why but people do comment that they'd seen this. Sometimes you can get them to joint nest but that can get messy.)

Geese can fight over wanting to be egg mothers also, not just chickens. (Are they in mating season for both birds? Or broody already?)

You may need to check the yard, to see if the eggs are reaching a certain other second hiding place if they are being moved.

At some point, people sometimes have to separate geese from ducks and chickens. You might evaluate that also. But you can try the other steps first.

If the birds are only laying on areas near the ground but not above ground such as in the case of your drawer nest thing that's probably their instinct. Its hard to trick their instincts. Not sure if its even worth trying. Plus, they nest closer to the ground to cover the eggs with grass and stuff for insulation warmth anyway. So this could actually mean they have good nesting and broody instinct?