At The Poodle and The Hen we always like to grant our hens the highest level of comfort when it comes to their nest boxes. We feel it is the least they deserve for laying us beautiful eggs each day. When building nest boxes whether it be for our own hens or for our customers' luxury chicken coops, there are some key design features we ensure are incorporated every time.
Firstly, we always use marine grade ply timber to build our nest boxes which has a high resistance against weather and moisture, as opposed to basic structural ply. It is also durable, easy to work with, light and won’t overheat. If you’re into the art of recycling, plastic drums are also a great solution. We avoid materials like tin or Colorbond as they get very hot in the warmer months.
Nest boxes need to be just big enough for your hen to move in and out easily but small enough that they feel safe and secure. Between 35cm x 35cm x 35cm is a good goal for most average sized hens. A quality, well sized nest box will ensure that eggs are safe from rolling away and cracking. We also recommend having a 10cm lip at the entrance to keep the nest from separating. Cosy is key!
Next to consider is an appropriate location for the nest. Laying hens like their privacy so make sure the nest boxes are in a dark, quiet part of the coop, away from exposed elements or beaming sunlight.
Nest boxes should always be raised off the ground to avoid any unwanted moisture or flooding. The last thing you want is mould festering inside the nest as this can cause a whole other range of health issues for your chooks. For our nest boxes that aren’t fixed to the walls of the coop, we raise them on bricks or pallets.
Finally, to build the nest itself we start with a 50mm layer of washed river sand at the bottom of the box which provides a nice soft landing for the egg. Sand also makes it harder for the hen to nestle to the bottom of the box when they settle in. If the hen makes her way right to the bottom of the box not only will this be less comfortable, the hard surface at the bottom will likely result in cracked eggs. On top of the sand we use a generous helping of straw or hay to create the nest itself. We replace the straw layer every couple of months and spray for mites regularly, especially in the warmer months. The sand we replace twice a year.
We recommend a minimum of one nest box for every two hens for backyard hen owners. However for those who plan to have multiple brooder hens, we would suggest each hen has their own nest box. To make breeding lines clearer, we would go even further to say that each broody hen should have her own pen too.
Photo’s courtesy of Hill to Air - https://hilltoair.com.au/