Nesting box location

[Greenmtnhens]

I am new to keeping chickens, getting my first pullets in a few weeks. I am curious about nesting box location in the coop. I noticed some coops have the nesting boxes flush with the floor while others have them raised up a bit. My question is, if the nesting box is flush with the floor of the coop do the hens have more of a tendency to walk on the eggs and poop on them? Or maybe it doesn't matter. Would love some feedback from experienced folks.

 

[ChaosMom]

I am new to keeping chickens, getting my first pullets in a few weeks. I am curious about nesting box location in the coop. I noticed some coops have the nesting boxes flush with the floor while others have them raised up a bit. My question is, if the nesting box is flush with the floor of the coop do the hens have more of a tendency to walk on the eggs and poop on them? Or maybe it doesn't matter. Would love some feedback from experienced folks.

Unless your coop will have a bare floor (or even then), I'd raise the base of your nesting boxes several inches higher than you plan to have your coop bedding. So if you just have an inch or two of sand or shavings, make the base of your boxes 4-5" inches from the floor. If you're going to have a deep, fluffy layer of bedding, go higher.

Whatever height you wind up with, you might also add a low board across the front of it as an extra barrier between box and coop floor. The hens won't mind hopping over it as they go in and out, and it probably adds a feeling of enclosure anyway.

 

[ChaosMom]

- and welcome to BYC!

 

[MROO]

I am new to keeping chickens, getting my first pullets in a few weeks. I am curious about nesting box location in the coop. I noticed some coops have the nesting boxes flush with the floor while others have them raised up a bit. My question is, if the nesting box is flush with the floor of the coop do the hens have more of a tendency to walk on the eggs and poop on them? Or maybe it doesn't matter. Would love some feedback from experienced folks.

Chickens like the safety of a high roost, so the higher your nesting boxes are mounted, the more likely your birds are to use them for sleeping instead of their intended purpose ... hence the "poopy-eggs!" It's not true for all flocks, but generally, nesting boxes are a good foot or more below your lowest roosting point. The "trick" is to find the best common denominator between what your hens deem "safe" and your back deems do-able!

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Nesting boxes level with the floor of the coop is definitely a common pre-fab thing and usually a design flaw if you have pullets because the pullets will make a snuggle pile in the nesting box to keep warm at night and then associate that with sleeping. I have had a few coops like this and it’s not always a bad thing it just depends on your situation. Whatever you decide, the roosts should be higher and not directly above if you can help it as that’s another fun way to get poop on eggs even just from being tracked in. Chickens poop a lot while they’re sleeping. So if they are sleeping with their butts in front of but above the nesting boxes there will be a fun poop pile for the nesting hen to walk through on her way to the box. My last coop was designed this way and I usually had to scoop the poop in the morning before work. Not fun. Sometimes the hens will avoid that nesting box but I don’t like to bank on them being hygienic lol

 

[rosemarythyme]

My nests are "on the floor" but they're still elevated on 3" legs so they're sitting above the bedding in the coop. No it does not lead to poopy eggs as the hens should not be in the nests for any reason other than to lay or consider laying or brooding.

 

[ChookaPete]

My chickens used to lay in various places:

 

[ChookaPete]

Now they lay here: