Chicken Nesting

We looked at choosing chicken nesting boxes not so long ago and I wanted to look at the subject of chicken nesting in a little more detail. Before I do I have been thinking about this for a while and wonder what the answer may be. You may notice that on the top right of the page I have a link that takes you to a book that you can download that shows you how to build all manner of different chicken Coops and also gives details of how to build a chicken nesting or laying box.

Quite a few people that come here have bought it and I can vouch for the quality of the instructions. What I wonder is how many people actually build their own chicken nesting boxes and coops and how many people buy them. Personally I build whatever I can myself. I always have materials around so I can usually make something, like a nesting box or even a house if I want to. It is books like this one that make life easier if you decide to build your own nesting boxes for chickens. It especially saves money if you are going to build a larger, or even a small chicken coop of your own. Learning how to build a chicken coop can be a bit daunting without plans for many people.

Anyway, the point of this is, are you a new owner of chickens looking for general information on how to build chicken nesting boxes? Or are you thinking of getting chickens and looking at the various things you need? This is one of the problems with the web. The term "Chicken Nesting Boxes" could mean many different things. You could be looking for information on what they should be made from, how big should a chicken nesting box be, or plans so you can learn how to build a chicken nesting box yourself. If you are one of those people looking to buy chickens for the first time and are doing research then I strongly advise you save yourself a lot of money and build your own chicken coop and chicken nesting boxes. You really will save an awful lot of money and can build something to the exact dimensions you want.

Anyway, sorry for the ramble. Back to the point of this post. Chicken nesting.

When purchasing, or making, your chicken nesting boxes there are a few important considerations that should be kept in mind. You need to enusre that you have the correct number of nesting boxes for chickens for a start. I always recommend that if it is purely for egg laying then you only need one nesting box for three birds. We have two nesting boxes for our four hens and to be honest it can be exasperating at times. Why? They all lay in the same one! For some reason, even though both boxes are identical, they all lay in the same box. Why this is I have no idea, but this is why I would never get more than one box for three chickens. They seem happy to take it in turns to lay their delicious eggs. If you are still thinking about getting hens then do it, there is no tastier egg on the planet than those layed by your own birds.

Chicken nesting considerations also mean the housing. When deciding on which laying boxes for hens you are going to use you must ensure you have a good home for the birds. It should be spacious enough, provide adequate ventilation but not be draughty, and should be secure from predators. This is why I build my own. It is much cheaper for a start but it also means you can ensure it will safely protect the hens and make sure they cannot escape at the same time.

It is easy to purchase an inferior product. Ensure that any chicken coop or chicken nesting box you purchase at least has a god review and can be vouched for.
Having chickens is a very rewarding experience, just make sure you house them well and use the best chicken nesting boxes that you can.