Nesting Box Curtains?

[Bear4boo]

My chickens are starting to lay and I am wondering if nesting box curtains are a good idea? We have two boxes and 6 hens. Sometimes when one goes in a box, others will go in the coop to pace and watch. What style curtains are best…the kind you tie back on the sides with the middle open or the strips/flaps that cover the whole box?

 

[nuthatched]

Curtains are unnecessary, the chickens watching are waiting for the nest box. The chickens laying down not care if they are being watched. :]

 

[ChickNanny13]

Don't think it's necessary but even with 2 NB they all may want the "one" favorite. I use a big dog house & had another, having had 5 - 6 hens. They all piled into the one dog. house so I gave up on the second. They all lay together or take turns.

 

[ChicFil- A]

My chickens are starting to lay and I am wondering if nesting box curtains are a good idea? We have two boxes and 6 hens. Sometimes when one goes in a box, others will go in the coop to pace and watch. What style curtains are best…the kind you tie back on the sides with the middle open or the strips/flaps that cover the whole box?

Good morning, I finally found a solution for dirty and partially eaten eggs!
I bought kitty litter boxes with cover’s. and I put in curtains! perfect. The egg eating stopped immediately and no more dirty eggs.
The boxes are perfect and break down for cleaning, The entry door is perfect and there is ventilation on top of the litter box. I just gathered a piece of fabric to fit the opening and it worked fine, My ladies love the boxes and curtains.

 

[AnnPann]

Good morning, I finally found a solution for dirty and partially eaten eggs!
I bought kitty litter boxes with cover’s. and I put in curtains! perfect. The egg eating stopped immediately and no more dirty eggs.
The boxes are perfect and break down for cleaning, The entry door is perfect and there is ventilation on top of the litter box. I just gathered a piece of fabric to fit the opening and it worked fine, My ladies love the boxes and curtains.

I use the same style cat litter boxes for my nesting boxes! Yours are way cuter with the curtains though. I love how easy they are to clean too. And when it’s super hot, you can just pop the top off. Not a fan of how wet they get when it storms though (mine are in a covered run).

 

[Hip Hillbilly Acres]

Curtains are unnecessary, the chickens watching are waiting for the nest box. The chickens laying down not care if they are being watched. :]

Multiple times I have read they prefer "privacy". I'm kinda hoping YOU are correct. One less thing for me to do (provide curtains). We are coming up on three weeks before being concerned about them laying. They are now 17 weeks old. Much of my research seems to indicate five months is a popular time for laying to begin. We'll see.

 

[Hip Hillbilly Acres]

Good morning, I finally found a solution for dirty and partially eaten eggs!
I bought kitty litter boxes with cover’s. and I put in curtains! perfect. The egg eating stopped immediately and no more dirty eggs.
The boxes are perfect and break down for cleaning, The entry door is perfect and there is ventilation on top of the litter box. I just gathered a piece of fabric to fit the opening and it worked fine, My ladies love the boxes and curtains.

Did you hot glue the gathered curtains to the box? I am sitting here thinking how I will attach them. Don't want to screw them on and the hot glue idea will need to involve extension cord to keep the gun hot while applying the curtains.

 

[Red Horse]

My nest boxes are attached to the back of the coop so I just used a regular old curtain rod to hang my curtains. Before my girls were laying age I had them set so that they touched the floor of the coop... I'm lazy and didn't want them going into the boxes and pooping for me to clean up since they didn't need them anyway.

When they got close to laying age I raised the curtain rod about 3-4" so there was a big enough gap for them to realize they could go inside, but keep them mostly hidden. I filled the boxes up with wood shavings and put ceramic eggs inside to make things more inviting. They use the boxes even though I keep catching one of my roosters trying to convince them to lay in the farthest corner from the door. I think they like the privacy, since if they were out on their own they would probably find a nice clump of tall grass or a hidden place to lay safely.

 

[Krugerrand]

Multiple times I have read they prefer "privacy". I'm kinda hoping YOU are correct. One less thing for me to do (provide curtains). We are coming up on three weeks before being concerned about them laying. They are now 17 weeks old. Much of my research seems to indicate five months is a popular time for laying to begin. We'll see.

I suspect it's not so much a desire for 'privacy' as much as it is a desire for security.

I find this article really fascinating: The Egg song, it’s not about the egg; it’s an escort call. When you consider as it pertains to just egg laying ... it makes sense that hens are looking for a place that will be safe for them and for their eggs. So, even when they aren't broody, their laying instincts persist.

I never did curtains, but I did paint the inside of the nesting box a dark color that I had on hand and tried to give it a closed-off feel with the arched front covers.

 

[ChicFil- A]

Did you hot glue the gathered curtains to the box? I am sitting here thinking how I will attach them. Don't want to screw them on and the hot glue idea will need to involve extension cord to keep the gun hot while applying the curtains.

After I gathered the curtains, I put glued velcro… it’s the tough velcro… works like a charm and they rinse out and back up. Hope this helps