32 / 56
Q. What if the hens don’t lay in the nesting box?
A.
Consider these changes:
• Many hens prefer a nest with other eggs in it. Try placing a ceramic or
wooden nest egg in the box
(sold at right)
.
• Place a comfortable amount of bedding in the nesting box (straw, grass
hay, wood shavings, sawdust).
• Locate nests in darker areas. Hens prefer to nest where they feel less
visible to predators.
Q. Where and how high should I set up the nest box?
A.
Place them so both you and your birds have easy access to the boxes. Some
folks think a corner or the dark side of the coop is preferred by chickens.
Not less than 2 ft above the ground for the base of the nest is a height most
can reach easily. Egg-stealing pests (rodents, skunks, snakes) also have a
harder time reaching this height.
Q. What material should I use?
A.
We’ve used metal and wood boxes for decades with hundreds of indoor and
outdoor chickens. But we prefer plastic because:
• Plastic does not rust like metal or rot and warp like wood.
• Plastic is easier to clean.
• Plastic has no seams or cracks, reducing risk of mite or lice infestations.
• Plastic has no sharp edges (metal) and does not splinter (wood).
Q. Should I use bedding?
A.
With a ChickBox and roll-out tray, you may have to initially use bedding.
After the hens learn to lay in the ChickBox (with a tray), gradually remove the
bedding. When not using the roll-out tray, we prefer straw or hay. Both stay in
the box better than wood shavings.
Getting hens to lay in a nest box…
One of the more common reasons
for raising chickens is the eggs.
Who could say no to a daily supply
of fresh, full-flavored eggs?
To keep their appeal, it’s best for
the eggs to remain clean.
The nesting area must be:
• A place where the hens want to
lay their eggs.
• Accessible to egg collectors.
• Easy to clean.
Otherwise hens will lay on the
floor. There, the eggs are likely to be
soiled, cracked and hard to reach.
Occasionally, hens hide their eggs
and nests. Finding eggs a week or
two after they have been laid is
often not a pleasant experience.
(left) Picking up your daily supply of eggs?
Make sure to bring an egg basket along to
collect the eggs while you make your rounds.
It’s all about
the eggs!
32
www.premier1supplies.com • 1-800-282-6631 Brown Ceramic Nest Egg Has look, weight and feel of a real egg—so much so that we advise marking them before you put them in a nest. Ceramic Egg, 0.10 lb #530136 ........................... $1.25 Wooden Nest Egg Discourages egg eating (hens can’t break it). Birch. Wooden Egg, 0.20 lb #530137 ...........................$1.25 White Ceramic Nest Eggs For geese (3"); chickens (2.25"); quail (1.25"). Kiln-fired ceramic. Goose Egg, 0.15 lb........#530147 $1.45 Chicken Egg, 0.1 lb .......#530138 $1.25 Quail Egg, 0.03 lb..........#530148 $1.03