If you keep chickens for more than five minutes, you’ll learn one big truth: hens are picky about where they lay their eggs. They’ll ignore the expensive box you built, waddle over to your toolbox, and deposit a nice warm egg right on your favorite drill. Ask me how I know.
Over the years, I’ve built, rebuilt, and argued with more chicken nesting boxes than I can count. Some worked beautifully, others ended in jailbreaks and broken eggs. So today, I’m going to share everything I’ve learned about nesting boxes the good, the bad, and the downright funny. Hopefully, you’ll get your coop set up right the first time and save yourself some frustration.
My First Nesting Box Disaster
Let me start with a story. Back when I got my first six hens, I didn’t think much about nesting boxes. I figured, “A box is a box, right? Chickens aren’t that picky.”
So I grabbed an old milk crate, lined it with newspaper, and shoved it in the corner of the coop. I was pretty proud of myself. The next morning, I walked out expecting half a dozen eggs. Instead, I found five eggs on the floor and one wedged behind the feed bag. The crate was spotless.
Turns out, chickens like privacy, comfort, and a sense of security when they lay. That crate was way too open, too slippery, and basically screamed “unsafe.” Lesson learned: what works for milk doesn’t always work for chickens.
What Makes a Good Nesting Box?
After years of tinkering, I’ve boiled it down to a few essentials. A good nesting box has:
- Privacy Hens like a cozy, dim space. If they feel exposed, they’ll go lay somewhere else like under your porch.
- Comfort Bedding matters. Straw, wood shavings, or shredded paper all work, as long as it feels soft and dry.
- Size About 12×12 inches works for most standard hens. Big breeds like Jersey Giants need a little more room, while bantams can get by with less.
- Easy to Clean You’ll be in and out of those boxes a lot. A design that lets you swap bedding quickly is worth its weight in gold.
- Good Placement Low enough for hens to reach easily, but not so low that they’re scratching bedding out every five minutes.
How Many Boxes Do You Really Need?
Here’s a mistake I see all the time (and made myself). Folks think they need one box per hen. I built six boxes for six hens once. Guess how many they actually used? One. They all lined up like kids waiting for the bathroom at a concert.
The rule of thumb I follow now is one box for every 3 or 4 hens. So if you’ve got a dozen layers, four boxes will do just fine. Don’t overbuild unless you like wasting wood and time.
The Fight Club Incident
I’ll never forget the day two of my Rhode Island Reds decided to lay in the same box at the same time. I walked in to check the coop, and there they were, squawking and shoving each other like feathered wrestlers. Eggs were rolling everywhere.
Moral of the story: give them options. Even if they prefer one box, it helps to have backups so squabbles don’t break out.
DIY Nesting Boxes on the Cheap
You don’t need to spend a fortune. Some of my best boxes were made from scrap wood, buckets, or repurposed junk. Here are a few ideas I’ve tried (some better than others):
- 5-Gallon Buckets Laid on their sides, filled with straw. Chickens love them. Just make sure they don’t roll around learned that the hard way.
- Plastic Storage Bins Cut a low entrance and fill it with bedding. Super easy to clean.
- Old Drawers Pulled from a busted dresser. Worked like a charm and looked rustic.
- Milk Crates (Round Two) This time I added a wooden front lip, lined it with straw, and shaded it. Worked way better than my first attempt.
If you’re handy, you can knock out a set of wooden boxes in an afternoon. If not, buckets and bins are your best friend.
Bedding: The Great Debate
Ask ten chicken keepers what bedding to use, and you’ll get ten different answers. I’ve tried straw, hay, pine shavings, shredded paper, even dried leaves.
- Straw: Cheap and comfy, but it can get moldy if damp.
- Pine Shavings: Smell great and stay drier. My personal favorite.
- Hay: Chickens love it, but it mats down quickly.
- Paper: Works in a pinch, but doesn’t last long.
These days, I keep it simple: a base of pine shavings with a little straw on top. Fresh, clean, and the hens seem happy.
Placement: Don’t Do What I Did
One year, I built a beautiful set of nesting boxes solid wood, perfect dimensions, clean as a whistle. Problem was, I put them right by the coop door.
Every time I went in, the hens scattered, and nobody wanted to lay there. I basically built a five-star hotel in the middle of a freeway.
Now I always tuck boxes into the quietest corner of the coop, away from foot traffic and bright light. Privacy is everything.
Roll Out Boxes: Fancy but Handy
Eventually, I tried roll-out nesting boxes. These are designed so the egg gently rolls down into a collection tray as soon as it’s laid. No more cracked eggs, no more hens pecking at them.
They’re not cheap, and building one takes a little skill, but man are they convenient. If you’ve got a larger flock or want to sell eggs, roll-out boxes are worth looking into.
Training Chickens to Use Boxes
Sometimes, even if you build the perfect box, your hens don’t get the memo. They’ll lay under the feeder, in the hay loft, or even right on the roost.
Here’s what works for me:
- Fake Eggs I put golf balls or ceramic eggs in the boxes. Hens see them and think, “Ah, this must be the spot.” Works like magic.
- Block Bad Spots If a hen keeps laying behind a barrel, I move the barrel. Don’t give them alternatives.
- Consistency Keep the boxes clean and comfy. If they smell bad, hens won’t use them.
Lessons I’ve Learned (So You Don’t Have To)
- Don’t skimp on bedding. Bare wood = broken eggs.
- Add a little lip on the front (about 3 or 4 inches). Keeps eggs from rolling out.
- Make the roof slanted if the box is outside the coop. Keeps hens from roosting on top and making a mess.
- Check boxes daily. Even one broken egg left too long can turn into a smelly nightmare.
The Joy of Collecting Eggs
At the end of the day, nesting boxes are about more than just giving hens a spot to lay. For me, they’re about that simple joy of opening a box and finding fresh eggs waiting. There’s nothing like it. Store-bought eggs don’t hold a candle to the ones you pull out of your own coop, still warm from the hen.
I still laugh at all the mistakes I made in the early years the milk crate disaster, the fight club, the fancy box in the worst spot. But those mistakes taught me what really matters: keep it simple, keep it clean, and keep your hens happy.
Final Thoughts
If you’re new to chickens, don’t overthink nesting boxes. You don’t need to spend a fortune or build something complicated. Give your hens a quiet, comfortable spot with a little privacy, and they’ll do the rest.
Start simple, adjust as you go, and don’t be afraid to laugh at the failures. Your hens won’t hold it against you. Trust me I’ve been there.