There are countless designs for chicken nesting boxes, but these are probably the easiest ones to make, and chickens love them! If you’re a chicken owner but not great at building things or don’t have a lot of time to spare, I highly recommend trying this out.
Basically, you take a tote, cut out an entrance for your chickens, add some hay or straw, and you’re done. Then, when it’s time to collect the eggs, you just remove the lid and get them.
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I found this tutorial on the Youtube channel, Becky’s Homestead. Here’s what you need:
- 3 18-gallon totes
- Piece of paper
- Sharpie
- Utility knife
- Screwdriver
- 12 1-inch Screws
- 12 washers (3/16″ × 3/4″)
- 2 x 8 x 8 board
Here’s how to make it:
- Fold a piece of paper in half, then in half again.
- Fold over one quarter of the sheet, and place it on the side of the tote.
- Use a Sharpie to draw a line around the paper. This is the outline of the door.
- Use your utility knife to cut out the door. Go slowly. First do a shallow cut, then a deep cut.
- Fill the nest box with hay, but not so much that it blocks the door.
The rest of the steps are optional. If you follow them, you’ll connect three nesting boxes together so you can move three at a time very easily.
- Put three tote nesting boxes on a 2 x 8 x 8 board and space them out evenly.
- Screw down each box with four screws and four washers (one screw in each corner).
- Add hay to the nest boxes and you’ll be all done.
Watch the video below to see it done.
ok, I started with a piece of paper from my grocery list pad…my chickens gave me a look…
I love this idea. We are trying to figure out how to have backyard chickens. We live in Texas so I’m worried about the heat. Your coop looked pretty open. Is that right? I’m wondering if mostly chicken wire and some supporting boards with a small roof would work instead of building an actual coop. Just worried about the heat making it hard for the ladies to live in. Any advice? Thank you for your post!