Chicken Nesting Boxes And Accesories

How To Build A Cheap Chicken Coop

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:46:00 +0000

Throughout this site I have discussed chicken nesting boxes and how to either get them or make them cheaply. One of my favorite ways is simply to get a round plastic bowl about the size of a washing up bowl. I then cut out a section of it so that the chickens simply walk in to it. It works like a dream and is a very cheap way to get a plastic chicken nesting box for practically nothing.

What I wanted to talk about today are the banners I have just added to the site. I felt it was important to explain why and just how good a resource I believe they are.So here is a how to build a chicken coop review so you see what help this book can give if you want plans for chicken houses.

I built my chicken coop from scraps and bits and pieces I had laying around the place. It does the job but isn't perfect. Then I came across this ebook that gives detailed instructions on just how to build a chicken house for practically no money. It has loads of detailed instructions for all manner of chicken houses cheap and cheerful and for fantastic quality large chicken houses to make at home for low prices and that don't take up too much time.

There are loads of detailed plans for lots of different homemade chicken coops and to be honest I really wished that I had it before I had botched my own house together. If you are already keeping chickens and the house is not up to much or you are thinking about keeping chickens and are doing some research before you get them then as well as getting cheap chicken nesting boxes I really do recommend the book.

The chicken coop plans are unbelievable. They are really detailed and the whole book can be downloaded and then you simply print off what you need for reference.

Anyone who keeps or is about to keep chickens should have this book. There is loads of invalauble information that makes life so much easier. There is a ton of information about raising chickens as well as lots of ideas for cheap chicken nesting boxes and how to get free nesting boxes for chickens.

There are a few books that every keeper of chickens should have and this is definitely one of them.

Buying chicken houses is expensive so it is far better to make your own. You don't need to be a carpentry expert either. The book is so well layed out that it gives you everything that you could possibly need to lean how to build a cheap chicken house. Free chicken house plans are available online but they are so rudimentary that you may as well make it up yourself. This book is extremely detailed and gives plans for lots of chicken houses that suit all different sites and sizes.

If you want plans for chicken coops and a guide to gettign the absolute best from your chickens then buy the how to build a chicken coop book. I hope this how to build a chicken coop review has been helpful.

Chicken Egg Laying Frequency

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:31:00 +0000

I touched upon chicken egg laying previously but I wanted to return to the subject. Here at chicken nesting boxes I like to keep the information simple and to the point. I wanted to offer up a little information on how to get the most from your hens.

Given the right conditions and suitable chicken nesting boxes you should get an egg a day from your chickens. This will not be all year round but for a considerable part of the year you should be getting a regular supply of eggs.

If you get chickens at point of lay then within a few weeks to a month they will begin to lay their eggs. Chickens are born with the possibility to lay a finite amount of eggs. Once all those have been layed that is it, no more. They lay with the most frequency for the first two years and after that the level of egg laying begins to drop severely. It is worth getting the most from your chicken for the first two years.

Even if they have many years left to live and many eggs left to lay they will do it so irregularly after the first few years that it is worth getting as many eggs as you can as soon as you can.

Here is what will help get an egg every day for the first few years.

Firstly, if you have not yet built or bought a chicken coop then I would save yourself a lot of time and money and get some detailed instructions. This book has all the information you could ever need to build a chicken house for minimal cost. It has loads of designs as well as telling you how to make chicken nesting boxes for free. It is THE chicken coop bible.
After you have a good quality chicken coop you also want some great nesting boxes. There is enough information on this site and in the book to be able to make them for little to no money.

Bedding is important. Keep them comfortable and your chickens will reward you with an egg. As well as all the above points you should consider the light levels.

As the days get shorter chickens lay less eggs. If you want an egg a day all year round then you need to create some artificial light. You just need a lightbulb in the chicken coop to accomplish this. Connect it to a car battery if you do not have a handy power source. This will fool the hens in to thinking it is still a time of year when they should be laying eggs.

This is a simple but very effective way of getting an egg every single day of the year. Don't forget to have some suitably placed chicken nesting boxes so it is easy to collect the eggs.

How To Build A Chicken House

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 13 May 2009 12:08:00 +0000

Well, I seem to be busy here today at chicken nesting boxes. Although this site has been directed primarily at the nesting box side of raising chickens, I am finding myself drawn more to the housing side of things as well. I learnt how to build a chicken house myself a few years ago, and to be honest it was not the tidiest thing I have ever built. That's not to say that it isn't very sturdy and will probably last for years to come. The more I keep chickens, and the longer I spend collecting eggs and cleaning them out, the more I wish that I had put a little more thought in to the design. I should have waited until I had plans a little more like those below.

I think things would have been slightly different then. Don't get me wrong, I learnt how to build a cheap chicken coop with no guidance and it keeps the hens warm and dry and they all lay an egg practically every day. Some detailed plans may have just made the chicken coop a bit more practical.

If you have been following the recent posts here at what I think I will rename how to build a chicken coop, or how to build a chicken house, you will know that I have been talking about the book that you can get by clicking on the big banner. It is exactly what I should have bought before I began my construction. It gives detailed plans for all manner of chicken houses and teaches how to build a chicken house in a vast array of different sizes.

What does my chicken house look like?
As you can see, it is sturdy but messy. I should have given a bit more thought to siting the nesting boxes and a few other things. At some point I will build something a little more aesthetically pleasing from the book.

Anyway, if you want your chicken house to look a little tidier than mine, have a look and see what you think. Learning how to build a cheap chicken house can be fairly straightforward, especially if you have lots of very good plans to work from.

Chicken Nesting Boxes

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 13 May 2009 10:51:00 +0000

By now I have covered quite a few aspects of chicken nesting boxes but today here at chicken nesting boxes I wanted to do something slightly different. After the last chicken nesting post I wanted to talk a little more about finding chicken nesting boxes to buy. It is nearly impossible! I am amazed at how little there is to buy, and what there is to buy is quite often homemade. Finding where to buy chicken nesting boxes involves so much searching that to be honest I think you should read the last post and simply make your own, unless you find something very good to buy. What there is to buy seems very expensive as far as I am concerned.

The big banner on the right leads you to a book that gives all manner of plans for building chicken coops but also for building nesting boxes. I have always tried to make my own and I think you could save a lot of money if you did likewise. The book is also invaluable for the future if you want to either make a new chicken coop or build one for your first set of chickens.

Many people who come to this site will be new to keeping chickens. This is an ideal time to learn how to build a cheap chicken coop and also chicken nesting boxes. I think that a homemade nest box may be much more ideal than purchasing one in many cases. You can amend designs to suit your needs and also have a lot of plans for great chicken coops as well. With prices of poultry equipment the way they are at the moment it may be much more cost effective this way.

If you are looking for sources of chicken nesting boxes, and you find a good one then see how the prices compare to actually making your own. The cost of a book that gives chicken coop plans as well as chicken nesting box plans may still mean it is cheaper than buying them, especially once you factor in shipping. Just my thoughts on trying to keep the price of raising chickens down. I am certainly a "make it yourself" person if I possibly can, and in todays current financial climate I get the feeling more and more people will be going a similar way.

Read through the chicken nesting boxes site and see what ideas you can come up with. You may, like me, decide that learning how to build a cheap chicken coop and a nesting box yourself will save you some money in a fairly short space of time.

Chicken Nesting

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:14:00 +0000

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.

Cleaning Chicken Nesting Or Laying Boxes

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 17:43:00 +0000

Chicken laying boxes, whatever they are made from need to be kept clean. Our Chickens nesting boxes are of vital importance to us as keepers of Chickens and we don't want an unsuitable environment for the eggs to be layed or for the Hen to incubate her eggs.

Even being a Chicken owner who is fairly fastiduos about keeping the Chicken Coop clean and thi s includes keeping the laying boxes clean, I still regularly get less than perfectly clean eggs. We shall look at some of the best ways of cleaning the Chicken nesting boxes, or as we sometimes mix up two descriptions, the Chicken laying box.

What To Use As Bedding For Chickens

There are any number of differnet materials we can use for Hen laying boxes. We just need something that is not too coarse for the Hens while they are laying and also something that will safely cushion the eggs as they are layed. Pieces of shreded newspaper are ideal if they are in abundance as a liner for nesting boxes as are things like hay if it is in fairly small pieces.

What I find ideal though is sawdust. Sawdust for Chickens bedding in their Chicken nest is ideal for a number of reasons. Primarily I recommend sawdust for lining nesting boxes for Chicken because it is cheap and it works so well. If you use sawdust it will absorb any droppings quite well and will also keep the poultry nesting boxes extremely clean as it absorbs so much.

Cleaning Chicken Nesting Boxes

How to clean Chicken laying boxes is straightforward, especially if you use plastic or metal nesting boxes for Chickens. If you do then it is a simple matter of emptying out the sawdust or whatever material you use as a lining for the Hen laying boxes, and giving it a thorough rinse. If you get a bowl of warm water with some liquid detergent then this should be sufficient. Simply clean out the Hen laying boxes by washing out in the soapy water. Simple and very quick.

For wooden Chicken nesting boxes you may have a little more work ahead of you. Wood can absorb a lot of smells and can easily become ingrained with Chicken droppings. If the Hens laying boxes are very dirty and grimy then something like a putty knife may be your best bet to begin with. Scrape off everything you can on the nesting boxes for Chickens before you go any further.

After the Hen laying boxes are relatively clean via this method then use the soapy water as just described. If you do this early in the day after the hens have laid then I would recommend that you also add a little bleach to the water. Give the Chicken nesting boxes a thorough clean and then leave outside to dry for a while. This will get rid off any of the bad smells the bleach may cause. Ensure you have also rinsed off as much of the mild bleach solution as you can with soapy water as well. You do not want to harm your Hens by letting them inhale bleach.

When it comes to cleaning Chicken laying boxes or nesting boxes there really is not much more to it than that.

Chicken Egg Laying

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:04:00 +0000

We have looked at how to make Chicken laying boxes or a Chicken nest, but sometimes we have problems getting the quota of eggs we require from our birds. Under ideal conditions a Chicken will lay an egg nearly every day. However conditions are not always ideal and however many books on Chickens we may wish we had bought, if you don't own a good book on raising Poultry then I will try to cover the subject for you here.

Chicken nesting boxes, as we have seen can be fancy or they can be homemade and quite basic. For Hen laying boxes we can keep it quite simple if we wish, the Chickens spend minimal time laying their eggs and it only needs to be functional, although those who are keeping Pet Chickens may have an eye on the aesthetics of the Chicken Coop as well as wishing for a good and regular supply of eggs. Chicken laying can be interrupted by quite a few different external factors and we will be looking at them in detail. A Chicken nest is seldom the cause as long as the laying boxes for Hens meet some basic requirements.

Chicken Stopped Laying?

There are a number of factors that can effect Chicken laying. The main reasons are:

A Shock

The Age of the Hen

The amount of daylight available

This is by no means a complete list but these are the main reasons why a Hen may stop laying. Housing Chickens, as with their Hen laying boxes, can be simple or more involved. Again, as long as they have some relative comfort the Chicken Coop is seldom the factor that will make Chickens stop laying. As long as it is not too cold and you provide a few Chicken laying boxes it is normally one of the above factors that will cause a Hen to stop laying.

There are a few things we can do to keep Chicken laying problems to a minimum. We cannot always do anything to help but for a few of the reasons behind Chickens not laying we can do something to help.

A shock or a fright can cause a Hen to stop laying. If it becomes scared or something new and out of the ordinary happens within its environment then it may stop laying. This could be for a day or sometimes it can be for a week or two.

What can we do if Chicken laying stops because of a fright?

We need to try to ensure that it does not happen. A fright can be caused by a Dog trying to attack the Hens, adding new stock to their environment, thunder and lightening or any number of causes that are seen as upsetting to our birds. To minimise the problem we should always ensure that Dogs and other animals have no way of getting in to the Chicken laying area or anywhere near the Chicken compound. The area should be well secured from animals and if we can keep all other wildlife away from the Hens then they will be much calmer. There are other ways that shock can stop birds laying, the weather is pretty much out of our control but should never cause more than a day or two without laying.

Adding new Hens to an established flock can be a problem. It is never recommended if possible as it can disrupt the flock. The Chicken nest may be ignored for a few days if new additions arrive. To minimise this try keeping them separated by wire for a week or so. They can gradually become accustomed to each other without any bullying occurring and it should minimise Chicken laying interruptions.

Chicken Egg Laying Video

The age of a Hen is the deciding factor when it comes to egg laying. Chicken laying has a finite time span. All Chickens have a predetermined number of eggs that they will lay throughout their life. They will lay the majority of them within the first two years of their life. So you better have a sturdy Chicken nest if you are going to keep your birds for the rest of their lives! They will continue to lay for years but the number of eggs they lay in any given week begins to decrease dramatically after Chicken laying has passed the first few years.

If your Chicken is approaching two years old then there is nothing you can really do to increase egg production. It is simply the Chickens age that is causing the Chicken laying to decrease. The solution? Well, you can keep Pet Chickens. Keeping Chickens as Pets is one option or culling is the other. You will then simply need to replace the birds with point of lay Hens.

The other main way why you will see a reduction in egg laying and what many books on Chickens will tell you, is the lack of daylight. When the days become shorter most Chicken Laying will be reduced. If the weather is cold then this will become more severe. Chicken nesting boxes will have little to play in this cause. They could be very comfortable indeed but a Hen laying box will make no difference if the daylight hours are short.

There is a very simple solution if Chicken laying has decreased as the hours of light do. You simply need to increase the hours of light to a more suitable duration. The simplest way to do this is by simply providing artificial light to improve Hens egg laying. A medium watt bulb will probably be sufficient in a small space. Increase the amount of light so they have about 14 hours of light and you should see a return to an egg being layed almost every day. This is a simple but effective technique if you have seen a drastic reduction in Hen laying because the days have become shorter.

Hopefully these few tips from "Chicken Nesting Boxes" will see you getting more eggs each day than you possibly eat and return the Chicken laying to a more regular routine.

The Best Chicken Nesting Boxes

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 13:52:00 +0000

The best Chicken Nesting Boxes will all have one thing in common. They will all be best suited to the site and for the purpose that you wish to use them. The problem arises when we say "Chicken Nesting Boxes" when what we really mean is "Chicken Laying Boxes". The two seem to be quite interchangeable but there is a distinct difference between the two and we may be looking at very different designs and siting depend on what we have in mind.

Here we will examine the differences and see which is the best for each.

Urban Compost Tumblers

On a side note, it is important that we can compost our chicken waste easily. You want to be able to quickly add the good manure produced on to the garden. To that end it is advised that the urban compost tumbler be used. Urban compost tumblers are fantastic at making compost very quickly. For some great compost tumbler reviews see this resource for information on the best composters available. Compost tumblers are simply fantastic machines for making compost in a few short weeks.

Urban compost tumblers can easily take a large amount of chicken waste, including droppings as well as straw and sawdust.

The Best Chicken Nesting Boxes

By nesting Boxes we really are talking about a Nesting box for Chickens. This is an area where the Chicken can safely and securely sit on her clutch of eggs until they hatch. This will mean that the Chicken nest box will be well away from the other birds and will be relatively dark. Chicken like peace and quiet when they are nesting and will not wish to be to disturbed by other Chickens. The best Poultry Nesting Boxes will therefore be the ones most suitable for this purpose. This means that it will be spacious enough for the Chicken to easily sit on the Eggs without being to cramped. Poultry nest boxes should not be too high off the floor, they should be sited fairly low so that it is not difficult for the nesting Chicken to leave the nesting box if it wishes.

Nesting Chickens will spend an awful lot of time sitting on the eggs so it needs to be quick and easy for the Chicken to make a quick dash for a little water and food and all the other business that a preoccupied Chicken needs to attend to quickly.

Nest boxes for broody Chickens should be somewhere that is not too bright. You want to keep the mood relaxed and quiet. Not allowing to much light in will make the broody Chicken more comfortable and happy to bring its eggs to fruition. Ensure that the area is not draughty and that it is of a good even temperature. You want to give every incentive for the Chicken nesting box to be seen as a comfortable place to be.

You should also ensure that the hen laying boxes have a good quality bedding. There are any number of things that can be used for good bedding. Sawdust, ripped up paper, straw, grass, the list could go on. You just need to ensure that the bedding is sufficient and that it is comfortable for the Chicken. Hen laying boxes do not need as much consideration as nesting boxes for Chickens. They will only be there for a short while where as nesting boxes for Chicken are much more permanent and should be of a good quality design.

Chicken Laying Boxes

A laying box for a Chicken can be much simpler than a Chickens nesting box but it still needs a little consideration. although Chickens are surprisingly unfussy when it comes to what they will lay their eggs in it should still be fit for the purpose. The best Chicken laying boxes will have a few things in common. Laying boxes for Hens come in a myriad of shapes and designs. From a simple washing up bowl, which by the way makes an excellent and cheap Hen laying box, to the more expensive and altogether space age eglu laying box.

What you do need to bear in mind is that they should all be easy to clean. If you feel the best laying box for a Chicken is to be permanently fixed to the wall or floor then you need to ensure it is of a material that can easily be cleaned.

You should also ensure that there is sufficient room for the laying Chicken to get easy access to the Hen laying box. No obstructions in front of the laying box. The bedding can, as for Chicken nesting boxes be of any suitably soft material. Sawdust is my preference as it is cheap, comfortable for a laying Chicken and is a great addition to the compost heap.

The best Laying boxes, in my opinion are made of plastic or metal. A plastic laying box has the advantage over Wood in that it never needs to be treated to stop rot and it is by far the easiest laying box to clean. Being able to quickly and easily clean the hen laying boxes means you will be much more inclined to do so on a regular basis and this in turn will be welcomed by the laying Chickens.

Wooden laying boxes for Chickens can be very good, but for them to last well they should be made out of marine ply if at all possible. Marine ply laying boxes for Chickens should last indefinitely and will be of very good quality. Of course, you will pay more for this priviledge.

Choosing the best Chicken laying boxes is always dependent on budget. If you have the money then you can spend it on something like the Eglu laying box, or if funds are low or you just like a more frugal approach then go for a homemade laying box for Chickens or a simple washing up bowl with the front cut out. They do work exceptionally well. Poultry nesting boxes can be as simple or detailed in construction as you wish.

The difference between Chicken nesting boxes and Chicken laying boxes, while not great is there. You just need to consider a few more things if you are going to be having a Chicken laying on eggs for any length of time. Choose the location of poultry nesting boxes a bit more carefully for nesting Chickens than for laying Hens. The siting is a little more important but as with most Chickens you will be surprised how basic the conditions can be for Hen laying boxes or nesting boxes for Chickens to be successful.

Chicken Nesting Boxes. Designs And Uses

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:06:00 +0000

When deciding on Hen laying boxes there are a few things we need to keep in mind. Chief amongst these is where it will be sited.

Hens have a habit of perching on anything within their Coop, and as such we need to decide exactly where the Hen laying Box will be sited. Our own Hens laying boxes are situated under a solid shelf that the Chickens all use to perch on. This means none of their droppings can fall in to the laying boxes. This is an important consideration as it will simply get the eggs dirty if we leave the laying boxes open to the Hens baing able to perch above them.

Siting The Poultry Nesting Boxes

Where you site the Hen laying boxes is really dependent on the design of the Chickens nesting boxes. If you have an open laying nest or box for the Hens then ensure that there is nowhere for them to perch above the box. It simply saves time in cleaning out the box and also keeps the eggs much cleaner.

Always keep the Hens perches well away from the nesting boxes. Even if you have a covered laying boxes for Hens you still want to keep the perches well away from the area. Why? The same reasons apply. If the Hens can perch on or above the laying box then it will get messy very quickly and you will have the extra work of cleaning the Chicken nests much more often.

Poultry nesting boxes can be very simple but you still want to minimise how dirty they get. This is just making good use of your time, nothing more. I would always advise that for open Hen laying boxes that a solid shelf is placed above them. This will keep them much freer of contamination and much easier to clean. If you buy or make a covered poultry nest box then ensure it has a very steeply sloped roof. This will discourage the Hens from perching on it and will keep it much cleaner.

Chicken Laying Boxes. Designs

There are numerous designs of laying boxes for Poultry and Hens and the choice is down to your budget, your choice of whether it will be a DIY Chicken nesting box and where you site the laying box.

Lets take a look at a few.

Here we can see a homemade Chicken laying box that is really very roomy. Note the very steeply sloped roof which will discourage the Hens from roosting on top and making a mess. Personally I find the design slightly over elaborate in that I don't believe they need to be given quite as much room to lay. How big should a Chickens nesting box be? There is no exact answer, but there certainly doesn't need to be as much head room as there is in this image. It is just down to personal choice though. If you are going to build a laying box for Hens then you can make it whatever size you wish. This laying box for Hens is large enough to accomodate a broody Hen easily and there is more than enough room for the Hen to sit on her eggs in a lot of comfort.

Here we have something a little different. A very simple, yet actually very nice looking laying box for Hens. It has a simple handle which means it can easily be moved. It would be ideal to situate under a shelf, you can then use the handle to pull it out and take the eggs.

A nice simple design that would be ideal for a Hens laying box. It may not be so good as a Chickens nesting box but in reality they are not fussy birds at all.

When choosing the correct laying box it is important to look at different designs and see which will choose the purpose the best.

You may never wish to have an actual nesting box, it may just be a laying box you are interested in. In which case the image above would be ideal.

Here we have something completely different. The Eglu laying box. Very space age indeed. There are slatted bars to allow the Chickens droppings to fall through and a small Hen laying area for the eggs. A very high tech design but would do an excellent job as a quality laying box for your Hens.

As you can see from just these few examples there are any number of different laying boxes for Hens to choose from. From high quality high-tech to simple small laying boxes.

It all needs to be considered, especially where the laying box will be sited. If you are going to purchase a nesting box then ensure it really is good for the long term, you do not want to have to buy another one any time soon.

Poultry nesting boxes come in all manner of shapes and sizes, just make sure you pick the right one for your birds and the coop in which they will be staying.

How To Make Chicken Nesting Boxes. Chicken Laying Boxes Made Easy

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 05:37:00 +0000

There are a few ways we can save money if we are on a fairly tight budget and that is to make Chicken Nesting Boxes or Laying Boxes ourselves.

Although keeping Chickens at Home, as Pets, or, as is more often the case, for only a few years while they are productive Egg Layers, is not expensive but all costs add up. There are ways to cut costs by making, or appropriating, items that can help us save money. Chickens are not that fussy about what they lay their Eggs in in.

It does, of course have to be a suitable size for the Chicken to be able to lay in, and then they will be more than happy to use the Laying Box you provide. The Chickens Nesting Box dimensions do not have to be exact. In fact what would be an exact size? For general sizes for Chicken Breeds then anything that allows the Chicken access to the homemade Laying Box will be suitable.

What if the Chicken won't use a Nesting Box? This is not very likely. Most Chickens will be happy to use most things that you supply for them to lay their Eggs in. It may take them a few days to get used to what you provide for them but then they should be more than happy to use what you provide for them.

Ideas For Nesting Boxes For Chickens

If you look around at what you own you may be surprised just what you have laying about that would make an ideal substitute for an expensive Laying container for your Chicken. Learning how to build a Chicken Nesting Box can involve no carpentry whatsoever if you do not wish. Not all Nesting Boxes are expensive but you may like to see if you can make one for free or for minimal cost. So, what can you use to make a Laying area for a Chicken?

You could try the following:

An old wooden crate for a Nesting Box
A Fruit crate of a suitable size for your Chicken to lay Eggs in
An old washing up Bowl, which are easy to clean after the Chicken lays its Egg
Basically anything that a Chicken can get easy access to to lay an Egg.

Although I would be loath to use anything for a Laying Box that was wooden, if you want to make a Chicken Nesting Box for minimal money then old, small wooden crates may be ideal for a while. The only problem with wooden containers for Chickens to lay Eggs in is the difficulty in cleaning. On the other hand you may have a pile of such things so that would make them ideal.

One of my preferred Chicken Laying Boxes is an old washing up bowl. I would simply cut the front out to make it easy for the Chicken to walk straight in to the bowl and lay. They work very well and have the added advantage of being very easy to clean. It takes seconds to clean the Nesting Box. How to clean Chickens Laying Boxes is an important consideration as you want to make your life easier not more difficult. These are a few ideas you could try if you wish to learn how to build a chicken nesting box.

Chicken Nesting Boxes. Dimensions

How large should nesting boxes for Chickens be? The dimensions really do not have to be exact. The laying box size Chickens are most comfortable with is simply a size that easily accomodates them. If it is large then that is OK, better too large that an laying box that is to small.

So, if money is tight and you wonder how to make Chicken Nesting Boxes why not look around and see what you may have at home that will be suitable. You may be surprised at what could be used to make a nesting Box or a Chicken laying box.

Choosing Nesting Boxes For Chicken?

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 18:13:00 +0000

Chicken owners are often asked by those who have just got Chickens or who are thinking about it how to go about choosing nesting boxes for Chicken or Chickens that they may own or will do soon. For some it seems like a big question and for others it is of little concern.

Some Chicken owners do little more than pile sawdust on the floor and leave it at that. Others will be looking at state of the art Chicken Nesting Boxes that promise to deliver high quality comfort and can keep the Eggs clean and away from the Bird. Of course some Chicken owners want their nesting Boxes to keep the Eggs right there as they want the Hens to go broody. When we say Nesting Boxes for Chicken sometimes we mean nothing of the sort. We mean Chicken Laying Boxes.

Nesting Boxes For Chicken?

The two have become quite interchangeable but can lead to misunderstanding and complications because of the terminology used. I am as much to blame as the next Man, the title of this site is Chicken Nesting Boxes, partly a sneaky act on my part, and partly because I know it can mean both Laying and Nesting to may. I say sneaky because so many people search for Chicken Nesting Boxes rather than Chicken Laying Boxes. If you came here via the latter then Hello to you, you are right but not in the majority of the searchers who are actually really looking for what you are.

Nesting Boxes for Chicken, or Chickens come in such a wide range it really is quite surprising and we will be looking at the differences soon enough, probably in the next post or so. How you go about choosing the right Box for your Eggs to be layed in will be down to a variety of factors, including the space of the Chicken Coop, if it really is a Nesting Box or is just for Chicken Egg Laying. If it is just for laying then it probably doesn't need quite as much consideration as the Chicken will be spending minimal time in it.

Make Chicken Nesting Boxes Easy To Clean

One thing I would always say, no matter what you end up supplying for your Chickens to lay in is that it should be easily cleaned. This is pf prime importance as far as I am concerned as it makes life so much easier. You want something that can be cleaned quickly and easily and doesn't take to much work to do so.

Plastic or Metal would be my choice because of this. However if you have a number of throwaway Crates or Bowls that can easily be converted to Chicken Nest Boxes then that may be the way to go.

Either way Choosing Nesting Boxes for Chicken or Chickens should be done bearing all the previous in mind.

Welcome To Chicken Nesting Boxes

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:09:00 +0000

It may seem a slightly quirky name for a Blog but surprisingly there is not as much information out there as you may think about this subject.

As time goes by I hope that this will become a comprehensive resource for all manner of things related to Chicken Nesting Boxes. At its simplest a Chicken Nesting Box is a fairly simple thing but there are a lot of different styles and sizes and you also have a choice of materials.

Added to this is the fact that when people are searching for this topic it is not only the subject of Chickens actually nesting that they are interested in. It also encompasses the topic of simply the receptacle that Chickens lay their Eggs in and then move on. A Chicken Nesting Box does not have to be a complicated item, in fact it can be quite a simple affair.

Chicken Laying Boxes

What those of us who keep Chickens are aware of is that a Chicken will lay its Eggs in almost anything it can get itself in to. Young Birds especially, when first laying seem to have a penchant for laying anywhere but in its laying Box. While they are called Boxes this is actually not the case. They are mostly open for most of the front compartment to allow easy access for the Chicken to come and go as it pleases.

Chicken Egg laying is a fairly simple process, once a Chicken begins laying then, as long as some basic conditions are right then it will continue laying for a good few years. Chickens laying need a suitable number of daylight hours for them to keep laying. As soon as the nights start to get longer and the days shorter then you may find that your Chickens begin to lay less and less. It is the lack of daylight that is the primary cause of why a Chicken stops laying.

Poultry Nesting Boxes

Chicken laying Boxes are a necessary part of raising Chickens, whilst it doesn't have to be a complicated business, you do need something suitable for the Chickens to lay in. Chicken Egg laying should be made comfortable for the Bird, as otherwise you may find that more Eggs end up around the Nesting Boxes than inside it. There is also the question of how many Nesting Boxes for the number of Chickens you own. I have found that two is more than enough for four Birds, and even then, for the most part they still all favour one Chicken Laying Box over the other. Typical Chicken behaviour!

Chicken Egg Laying is, surprisingly for non Chicken owners, quite fun. It is great going to the Chicken Coop in the morning to discover if you have a full quota of Eggs or not. The Chickens always seem to expect a treat upon arrival. A bit of Cabbage is always appreciated by them but quite often they are more than content with their usual feed.

Welcome to Chicken Nesting Boxes, there will be lots of information about Chicken Laying Boxes, Chicken Egg Laying and much more very soon.