Improving the chicken coop: how to make a nest for laying hens

Probably, every owner of a private house began a household with chicken breeding. This is not surprising, since taking care of them is not difficult, and there will always be fresh eggs in the house. After a few years of keeping the chicken cut for meat. The most favorite and popular variety of hens are layers. Their eggs are larger and more tasty. For egg laying to be successful, it is necessary for the chickens to equip a nest that can be made with their own hands. This will increase the quality and quantity of the product, as well as avoid damage to the shell. In this article we will explain how to make a nest for laying hens with your own hands.

Purpose and types of nests for chickens

In every hen house nest for laying hens - an integral part. Nest for laying hens is necessary so that the eggs are not scattered throughout the chicken coop.So you can control the productivity of your chickens.

Nests also prevent the eggs from slamming, and they are kept clean. The optimal size of a chicken nest in centimeters is 25 x 35 x 35.

Ordinary nest

For making a conventional nest not need a lot of materials and effort. For example, you can take the usual box for vegetables. For laying eggs you need exactly the same place in size, which can be assembled from light plywood. Put some straw or hay on the bottom and the nest is ready. If you have a large enough household, it will be most convenient to make places of laying in the form of a battery. How many you would not need nests for laying hens, using a similar design you will be able to make any quantity in the shortest possible time.

Nest in the form of booths

Nest in the form of booths will look almost the same as a doggie's booth. Making such a structure is very simple: the principle is the same as that of a conventional nest. Only the front wall is different, and the size of the hen's nest is independent of the type.By this principle, you can make a series of nests, if you have a lot of laying hens.

Eggbed nest

If during the day you have little time to check for eggs, then having a nest with an egg digger is very convenient. As experience shows, to make such a nest is not difficult. The nest with the egg box differs from others in that the bottom should be with a slight bias. When the bird rushes, it practically does not touch the egg, it rolls into the prepared tray.

Choosing a place for the nest

Before you make chickens nests for eggs, you need to think about where they will be. Choosing a place for a nest in the hen house, you need to properly place it. In damp places it is better not to place a nest for a hen, since a bad microclimate will provoke colds in chickens, and this, in turn, will negatively affect their productivity. It is also not recommended to place a nest near the entrance to the hen house. No matter how well you manage to make a chickens nest while sitting in a draft, they can get sick, and your eggs will spoil. When choosing a place, it is necessary to take into account the height above the floor, it should be at least 30 cm, and the take-off bar should be at a distance of 10 cm from the entrance to the chicken coop. Use straw or hay for flooring.

Place the nests in dark places. The boxes for layers are not recommended to be mounted on the walls, since in winter they will emanate a cold, and the construction itself will be less durable. Handmade nests in the hen house should be comfortable not only for chickens, but also for you. It is necessary that there is free access for collecting eggs and cleaning the nest. If the hens do not lay eggs in the proposed location, such a nest should be redone.

How to make a nest for chickens: tools and materials

Since making a bird's nest with your own hands is quite simple, you will not need special knowledge and skills for this. Plywood is an excellent material, you can also use boards. Tools will need a hammer, screwdriver, nails, cutting tools and sandpaper. From simple tools and materials you can make a very good nest.

DIY Chicken Nest

Most farmers prefer to make a nest in the hen house with their own hands, since it is possible to take into account not only the size of the hens, but also the characteristics of their premises.You can also make a nest, based on any personal requirements and wishes, the main thing is to observe the basic principles.

Normal nest option

For the manufacture of of ordinary laying nests with your own hands, take a plywood or board and divide it into 3 parts. On each part make sides. Put straw or hay in the nest and place it at a convenient distance from the floor. Next, put the ladder so that the hens would rise.

Instructions for making a nest in the form of a booth

To start, make a regular box without a front wall. The dimensions should be such that the chicken in it was comfortable. After that, it is necessary to cut a round hole in the board or plywood so that the hen can easily pass through it. Now insert the front wall, place the straw and the nest for laying hens with your own hands ready, in the photos below you can see the drawings.

Design and drawings of the nest with egg

Eggbed nest can be made in the form of a conventional nest or in the form of a booth.The only difference is that the bottom should be slightly sloping.

The size of such a hen's nest for a hen will not be different. At the bottom, under the sloping bottom, we attach a small tray. As a tray, you can use any plastic container, for example a tray from the refrigerator. In such a nest does not need to lay a lot of straw or hay, as the egg should roll out freely. It is better to lay more litter in the tray so that the eggs do not break when they roll out.