Chicken Nesting Boxes

www.BackyardFarmToday.com is the new name of all the excellent backyard farming tips and tricks that you will see in video's like this one.
This is a very easy to use design of chicken nesting boxes. We wanted to be able to individually clean and maintain each box, so we made them from simple plastic tubs that hang from a frame within our nesting box unit.
For more video's like this one, search for the BackyardFarmToday channel on KZbin.

[@flabeachcomber]

After seeing your video, I made a similar coop from your idea. Would have never thought of it without your video. Many thanks.

[@LizandAvery]

I like this design better than anything I've seen on the net, and I've really been studying the subject! Better yet, it will work great in my space. Thank you so much for posting this!

[@Shareallicu]

Nice Nests, one of the best designs I've seen. Easy to clean, comfortable for the chicken! Awesome!

[@dominiquecarlson4923]

Great idea! We just built these for our chickens - They should be great! Really a pretty easy project if you have a air compressor fired stapler/pin nailer

[@GradyWhite2007]

Great idea! Thanks! I'm getting ready to build some nesting boxes and I like the idea of the plastic tub for easy cleaning.

[@Blackdogindy]

Thank you for the kind comments. We will try to keep the ideas coming. The other thing we would have done a little differently, and still could, is raise this up off the ground just a little higher. The bottom row is about ground level, and while that is good when we have broody's and chicks, it also has a way of collecting things underneath. It hasn't bothered us enough to take the time to move them up though.

[@Blackdogindy]

We used a 4 foot by 8 foot sheet of 1/4 inch plywood. We mounted the bottom box wood rail (that the tub sits in) at the bottom of the plywood sheet. We then divided the remaining boxes equally between the remaining sections and space available. So the 16 inches mentioned is from the top of the nesting box to the bottom of the tub above it. In retrospect we could have provided less space between them. Best of luck with your nesting boxes!

[@coyotebird]

I have no idea why I hadn't thought of that. What a great idea,...thanks!

[@econorob66]

Thanks for your video, Very informative.

[@Blackdogindy]

We used plastic eggs to get them started in our coop. However since the original set of chicks, the subsequent chicks have just learned from the other hens. You can use ceramic or wooden as well if desired... or even a store bought egg that you mark so you don't accidentally eat it after it has been unrefrigerated.

[@dabamaboy1]

Best ideal i've seen!Only thing need slop on roof.VERY well thought out!RTR

[@Blackdogindy]

We are in Central Indiana. The interior of the coop does get pretty hot at times, but the wood frames we built for the tubs are pretty tight because I accidentally made them about 1/4 inch too narrow. The tubs are VERY snug in the frames. We have multiple hens that use the tubs, and we haven't had any issues at all with the tubs or the weight. It's also handy with broody hens. As the chicks hatch, we move the mother to an isolated crate, tub and all, until her chicks are ready to come out.

[@Delainesmith]

Love your ideas! I have been trying to plan my coop and this video is a great help. Thanks for sharing!

[@robinhurst7905]

Great idea. I love clean and this is prefect! Thank you!

[@Blackdogindy]

Our hens are not bothered by the flat roof and continue to lay their eggs there just fine. Our hens roost in the rafters of our coop, and they use the roof of the nesting boxes to jump into the rafters. It has gotten rather messy from the chicken droppings from above. We do have one that sits up there in the evenings to sleep. You could angle the top to keep them off if preferred.

[@Blackdogindy]

Currently there are no official plans for this design. We are working on an eBook, similar to the eBook we have available on the Heated Chicken Waterers. I attempted at including as much detail as possible in the email to assist you in assembling something similar. Please keep watching Backyard Farm Today .com - as that is the new identity of our efforts like this project. We will be posting in the future to that ID here on KZbin. Thanks for watching!

[@Blackdogindy]

I believe we got the tubs from Walmart. I mention the brand name and size on the video, but they are nothing special. I made sure the wood side and rear support was "tight" to the tub to ensure it wouldn't fall through when a chicken was in it. The rear support is on it's "side" to provide additional support as the tub handle protrudes a little more at the back than the tubs do on the sides (if that makes sense). Thanks for watching! Check out BackyardFarmToday to see us.

[@Blackdogindy]

You may adjust your measurement to what works for you. We selected about 16 inches, but could have done with a little less.

[@MrTranquanghuu]

good job thanks

[@karenwolf4808]

I have a question regarding the size of the wood you used for the dividers and back. Also how high did you mount the frames on the wood. You said 16" but was that from the wood frame, taking into account for the 6" depth of the bucket? Right now my hens are fighting over their favorite nesting box.

The roof of the nesting area is flat. Will not roosters and hens jump on and sit on that roof? Have you experienced any problem with that or does it not matter (Hens not bothered by it)?

[@tinaballi5238]

I was wondering about the fake egg.. are they ceramic or wooden?

[@stevenlindsay8305]

Do you have any trouble with heat making the bins unstable with the weight of the hen(s)? I'm in Texas and it gets very hot here, plus we frequently find more than one hen in a nest.

[@DontB2Cereal]

How high between each?

[@scout19d302b]

How big is your coop?

[@Blackdogindy]

10 feet x 20 feet