Nesting box size

[Wannabe_homesteader]

Hi everyone! Planning out how to redo the chicken coop and was thinking about using a cube shelf for nests... the nests would be 11.13"x11.13".... is this too small?

I will have black stars, ameracaunas, marans, and Whiting true green. Thanks in advance!

 

[cmom]

You can make them many sizes. I have one that is 11" x 11" because of space and the birds use them fine but most are around 12" x 12". I also had a community nest box, one large box 36" x 12" it worked good too.

 

[gtaus]

Hi everyone! Planning out how to redo the chicken coop and was thinking about using a cube shelf for nests... the nests would be 11.13"x11.13".... is this too small?

I will have black stars, ameracaunas, marans, and Whiting true green. Thanks in advance!

I use plastic dish bins from the Dollar Tree as nest boxes. They are about 13"X11". Works great for me. Check out my coop pictures of the plastic dish bins as nest boxes on wooden rails. Super easy to build and even easier to clean out or replace a bin if needed.

 

[aart]

Hi everyone! Planning out how to redo the chicken coop and was thinking about using a cube shelf for nests... the nests would be 11.13"x11.13".... is this too small?

I will have black stars, ameracaunas, marans, and Whiting true green. Thanks in advance!

Might work OK.....but bigger would be better, IMO.
Do you know that they almost fully stand up when egg actually comes out?
I like 14 x 14 x 16".
Click on pic to see more pics and detailed plans.

 

[cmom]

You can use just about anything for a nest box. I have seen people use 5 gallon buckets turned on their side as nest boxes, totes, milk crates, shoe box, laundry baskets, book shelves among other things. I think most people build wooden nest boxes. The sizes can vary.

 

[Ridgerunner]

That size should be fine. A general guideline is 12" x 12" minimum, but that is a guideline not a law of nature. I've had them lay in a cat litter bucket that had an opening of 7-1/2" x 11-1/2". It worked fine for them to lay in but was a bit small for a hen to hatch in. It depends a bit on how you build your nests, but with your hens that size should be fine for hatching too.

They do stand up some to lay. Not sure how high you are building your nests if they even have a top on them but 12" is plenty high enough.

 

[gtaus]

They do stand up some to lay. Not sure how high you are building your nests if they even have a top on them but 12" is plenty high enough.

Last year I watched a YouTube video where some guy was talking about the ideal height for his nest boxes as being just tall enough for the hen to squat while laying an egg, but not tall enough to fell comfortable to stand up and move around in when not actively laying an egg. The thought was that keeping a low overhead encouraged the hen to lay her egg and then leave for more comfortable surroundings. IIRC, the height he had his nest boxes was about 10 inches tall, but I can't swear to that memory.

If I find the YouTube video again, I'll link it on a post. Anyway, the take away I got from the video was that he did not want to give his hens enough room to fully stand up in the nest box and somehow he was convinced that improved his egg production system. I built my nest boxes tall enough that my girls can comfortably stand up and move around in the nest box if they want. Seems to work fine for me and the hens.