Nestboxes.

[di]

What do you all use?
We used to use a heavy wooden fruit crate...until the mites took a liking for them!
Since,we've tried all manner of things.Plastic small crate,washing up bowl,cardboard box,but the girls manage to tip them over when they perch on the sides to get in.
We were given some wire proper nest boxes(that I imagine were from a factory farm...very cage like)but the girls don't like them...even with a few sheets of newspaper & shavings)
At the moment they lay in their old dustbath underneath an old lawnmower grass box(tis funny watching them carefully crawl under & then out.)This is fine while the weather is dry but come muddy times I'd really like to have them back to laying in the coop.
We're a little reluctant to build another fixed box until we're sure the creocote has ridded the mites.

[RichmondHens]

Well mine are fixed as part of the houses, and we've never had mite in any nest box, so it's not been an issue. Our design is just one large long box that they all find space in, rather than several individual ones. They still all want to sit on top of one another thought, despite having plenty of room - mad things! Before I penned the laying bantams up they laid in a couple of old boxes in a stable - but they'll lay anywhere they want, given the chance. As long as it's dark and they feel safe in it, they'll lay in it.

[Suechooks]

I use cardboard boxes from supermarket or OHs work place. The ones that hold 6 bottles of wine are good!!! I eg them together with bulldog clips or some giant pegs from T...o.
Tried mop buckets on their side but they wouldn't use them.
Used to have wooden cubes but found billions of red mite in the joins so creosoted them and use as storage in the polytunnel.
The cardboard ones can be burnt or composted once they've scratched holes in all 4 sides!

[walldanzig]

I use shoe old shoe boxes with the front torn off

[beulah59]

I'm using cardboard boxes from the supermarket ... those large flat ones that fruit comes in ...

[Suechooks]

I'm using cardboard boxes from the supermarket ... those large flat ones that fruit comes in ...

I tried one of those and my big old speckledy stood on the side and upended it then another daft one turned it right over and couldn't get out from under it!!!!

[MaureenHall]

The new coop has just a cardboard box on its side with the flaps tucked in to make it a bit more sturdy. The other 2 coops both have external nest boxes. I thought about using washing up bowls till someone said on here about the chooks standing on the edge and tipping them up

[bluemoon]

Well mine are fixed as part of the houses, and we've never had mite in any nest box, so it's not been an issue. Our design is just one large long box that they all find space in, rather than several individual ones. They still all want to sit on top of one another thought, despite having plenty of room - mad things! Before I penned the laying bantams up they laid in a couple of old boxes in a stable - but they'll lay anywhere they want, given the chance. As long as it's dark and they feel safe in it, they'll lay in it.

This is exactly what we have. The nest-box entrance is central and pop-hole sized, and accessed from inside the house, but the box itself is, I suppose, about the length of three individual ones. It's certainly easier to clean out than individual ones, though the eggs are always in a clutch together, even though they have room to spread out. I'd heard that hens liked it to be dark in their nest boxes, so I painted the inside a dark violet, the inside of the house itself is painted white to maximize the light so there is a definite difference for them and I've never had an egg laid in the wrong place, except for the time that Sadie decided to lay 2 soft-shelled ones within 20 minutes.
My daughter's neighbour swears by old wooden tea-chests. I don't know if you can still get hold of them though as he's apparently been using the same ones since 1953

[Glutton4...]

I have 4 along one wall and 2 on another. They are built on the outside of the coop, but with access from inside, and are partitioned with roll-away inserts in them. They used to all pile in together into their favourite one and squash the eggs, even with loads of shavings in the boxes I was losing up to 3 eggs a day once they got a taste for them, and decided enough was enough.

They didn't like the inserts to start with, but have now accepted that it's that or nowt - not many will lay on the floor or outside, but I do get the odd one occasionally.

When they were in a temporary shed I put stout cardboard boxes in, but they were soon collapsing and soaked in poo where they preferred to sit on the tops.

[its hilly]

Wsahing-up bowl with a piece of paving slab cut to nearly fit the bottom for weight, then wood chip on top

[MaureenHall]

Wsahing-up bowl with a piece of paving slab cut to nearly fit the bottom for weight, then wood chip on top

I like that idea will have to investigate that one!!

[womble]

I built a box out of plywood, it has a very sharply sloping roof, so there is not a chance of one getting on the roof.
At the moment it is being removed every night in case it has red mite in it, but I plan to creosote it and replace with a box for a few days while it dries properly.
It works really well, I built it originally as they were roosting on the cardboard box I used and making a right mess.

[kirsty b]

Mine use fruit boxes off the market - so I can dump them when they need replacing, but lately I have put in one of the green crates tesco use when delivering your shopping. Room for 2 in there, heavy enough not to get tipped over too.

[lynda66]

mine have an extension to the house that i built specially, lined with lino and laminate flooring and sealed with silicone .... (which means when i clean out, i just sweep, then chuck ***** fluid down and hose out) .... which they used to lay in quite happily until i had to block it off for chicks for a couple of weeks .... so now the little darlings decided the poo tray under their perch is better .... stoopid creatures.