Show us your nest boxes! Ingenous design post it here!

[Beezer]

Do you need a perch in front if you set your nest boxes on the ground?

 

[aart]

Do you need a perch in front if you set your nest boxes on the ground?

Nope.

 

[Beekissed]

Any thoughts on if this nesting box arrangement could work? The distance btwn the box and the black perch seems too close for them to fly onto as it, so I moved this green thing that they like to perch on so they can have an easier approach. Any Little Giant users seen full size birds use them? My birds are 19 weeks so ought to be showing some kind of interest in boxes and laying soon. Already have the golf balls in there.

To me this seems overly complicated and taking up space in the coop where you would like to walk, not to mention get in your way when you wish to collect eggs. Why not just drop those boxes down about 4-6 in. and call it a day. Any hen should be able to access them from that height and you still haven't really lost floor space with the lowered boxes.

 

[wild west farm]

 

[peastix]

Super cute.Looks practical too.

 

[BOATMAN]

I love the lumber that you used for the nesting boxes and the design looks great ! Thanks !

 

[Liftedhigh77]

I've got some securing to do, but used a bookshelf I made last year and added some scrap wood. Gotta add another piece to the top boxes. Ran out of large wood scraps so I put old fabric behind the boxes! Doh!

 

[tennisbike]

Here I just finished making and installing the new nest box. I call the design FALL AWAY away nest box because the egg does not only roll away. In our previous roll-away nest box, some of our hens were able to stretch her neck into the cavity to break egg shell and eat it. My wife blamed the egg stink from the boxes which were modified from the old boxes, where our old batch of chickens also ate eggs and left caked on mess. I hope this new nest box design would fix all that.

A few feature:
- Mounted outside the coop allow access to eggs and nest box without having to enter the coop.
- French cleat mounting simplify installation. (If you have a table saw, there is no reason NOT to use the 45 degree french cleat. And I get to use the scrap 3/4" plywood in my junk pile)
- 15 degree floor
- drawer is made of 3/4" plywood side glued and nailed and 1/2" steel mesh. A form was made from scrap to help make form the shape. Then mesh was stapled in place.
- There is a diverter board hopefully encourage the hen to lay face toward the coop. The shape also allows smaller drawer.
- In the worst case scenario the egg starts rolling from the high side, it would impact the front wall and possibly bounce and hit the edge of the base board. Thus cheap tool box liner from Harbor Freight was used to cushion the impact. Two layers at certain more critical spots. Mostly they were stapled in place. A thin single layer strip was glued to the edge of the base.
- Interior and exterior were first primed then painted with two coats of oil based enamel.

Note: I probably would not make it this way again. The angle pieces are not easy to lined up.

I will report back how these boxes work.

 

[drumstick diva]

let us know how this version performs

 

[aart]

Here I just finished making and installing the new nest box. I call the design FALL AWAY away nest box because the egg does not only roll away. In our previous roll-away nest box, some of our hens were able to stretch her neck into the cavity to break egg shell and eat it. My wife blamed the egg stink from the boxes which were modified from the old boxes, where our old batch of chickens also ate eggs and left caked on mess. I hope this new nest box design would fix all that.

A few feature:
- Mounted outside the coop allow access to eggs and nest box without having to enter the coop.
- French cleat mounting simplify installation. (If you have a table saw, there is no reason NOT to use the 45 degree french cleat. And I get to use the scrap 3/4" plywood in my junk pile)
- 15 degree floor
- drawer is made of 3/4" plywood side glued and nailed and 1/2" steel mesh. A form was made from scrap to help make form the shape. Then mesh was stapled in place.
- There is a diverter board hopefully encourage the hen to lay face toward the coop. The shape also allows smaller drawer.
- In the worst case scenario the egg starts rolling from the high side, it would impact the front wall and possibly bounce and hit the edge of the base board. Thus cheap tool box liner from Harbor Freight was used to cushion the impact. Two layers at certain more critical spots. Mostly they were stapled in place. A thin single layer strip was glued to the edge of the base.
- Interior and exterior were first primed then painted with two coats of oil based enamel.

Note: I probably would not make it this way again. The angle pieces are not easy to lined up.

I will report back how these boxes work.

More details and discussion here https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1114401/drop-away-nest-box-work-in-progress