Nest box opening

How tall is the current opening to the nestbox?
Is this meant for standard sized chickens or for bantams?
Good questions.

I had hatchery quality Sussex, Orpington, and similar breeds when I first started my flock. I put them in a tractor with nests 12" x 12" x 12". I started with the opening into the nests as 8" tall but they scratched out the bedding so I had to raise the lip another 2" to keep the bedding in. They were able to get in and out without problems but those nests were close to the ground. They could pretty much just step into the nets from ground level. So can yours. Those openings were 8" wide.

In my main coop my nests were 16" x 16" x 16". Some were high enough that the chickens had to jump/fly to get in them. The lip was high enough that they could not scratch out the bedding and eggs and the openings were 8" wide. Those openings were 8" high. Those worked well.

Your nests are really low. You want the lip to be high enough so they do not scratch bedding and eggs out of the nests when they are rearranging the nest bedding. You do not want them to scratch bedding from the coop floor into the nests as that bedding could have poop in it. I don't know what size chickens you will have or how tall that opening is now.
 
Trimmed out the nesting box opening and lowered the roosting bars. 🤞 Will find out next spring if they like it or if I need to make more adjustments. Getting 4 chickens not sure what breed yet have to do my research to see what's a good egg laying chicken that's kid friendly 🤔
 

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Trimmed out the nesting box opening and lowered the roosting bars. 🤞 Will find out next spring if they like it or if I need to make more adjustments.
Excellent!


Getting 4 chickens not sure what breed yet have to do my research to see what's a good egg laying chicken that's kid friendly
You can't determine a "kid friendly" chicken by breed.
Are you looking for a chicken that can be cuddled?
How old is this kid(s)?
 
Excellent!



You can't determine a "kid friendly" chicken by breed.
Are you looking for a chicken that can be cuddled?
How old is this kid(s)?
We are mainly 5 and 2
Excellent!



You can't determine a "kid friendly" chicken by breed.
Are you looking for a chicken that can be cuddled?
How old is this kid(s)?
5 and 2 years old. I guess we are looking for a good egg laying chicken primarily but a non aggressive breed If that's possible.
 
5 and 2 years old. I guess we are looking for a good egg laying chicken primarily but a non aggressive breed If that's possible.
Any chicken can become aggressive.
Small children's exuberant movements and high pitched loud voices can make chickens nervous/stressed and more likely to bite or scratch if pursued/touched by said children.
 
We are mainly 5 and 2

5 and 2 years old. I guess we are looking for a good egg laying chicken primarily but a non aggressive breed If that's possible.
Orpingtons? they aren't the greatest layers, decent but just not super high production, but this tends to also result in them having longer lives. They tend to be very, very friendly birds as well
 
What side of the coop are your nest boxes? N S E or W. It does not have much roof overhang to cover the lid from rain and wind.
Hi, they face West, I still in the process of making the lid for it but I have added weather stripping on the inside so when the lid is closed it will be fairly sealed from wind and water.
 
Also add a piece of flexible strip such as rubber over where the hinges are. Water WILL get in the gap. You will also have to keep snow off of it so it does not seep inside.
I also have external nest boxes and they are great with some extra attention.
And make sure the lid is very secure with a good lock so racoons can't open it.
 
Also add a piece of flexible strip such as rubber over where the hinges are. Water WILL get in the gap. You will also have to keep snow off of it so it does not seep inside.
I also have external nest boxes and they are great with some extra attention.
And make sure the lid is very secure with a good lock so racoons can't open it.
Good ideas. Thanks for the tips I will improve my design thanks
 


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