Anybody have items repurposed for nesting boxes?

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Happy
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Anybody have items repurposed for nesting boxes?

Post by Happy » Mon Nov 26, 2018 7:14 pm

I’m rather proud of myself today.
I picked up an empty kitty litter tub to toss out yesterday and took a second look at it and saw a cute nesting box for my little Bantams. I installed it late yesterday and came home this evening to two eggs in it! They like it! I’ve also used dollar store kitty litter pans for nesting boxes and dust baths.
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Ontario Chick
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Re: Anybody have items repurposed for nesting boxes?

Post by Ontario Chick » Tue Nov 27, 2018 9:23 am

Nice! I know you are fully fledged poultry enthusiast, and past point of no return ;) but this reminds me of the period we all seem to go thru when everything you look at could be used for chickens....
I used to be unable to past any fenced construction site, without thinking, boy that would make a great chicken run.
Crowning glory was DH driving me to the airport one day, and passing a new development I read a sign that said
"TURKEY OPERATION" took a second look (as one does when one seas anything to do with poultry), realized the sign actually said
TURNKEY OPERATION, shared may chuckle with DH who said....I was wondering what they were doing with Turkeys in Bells Corners.
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Kbr42
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Re: Anybody have items repurposed for nesting boxes?

Post by Kbr42 » Tue Nov 27, 2018 11:36 am

Good for you @Happy I tried the same thing and they hens said nope! :doh:

So I took them down and put up a wooden box nesting box and they said yep!

Sigh!
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windwalkingwolf
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Re: Anybody have items repurposed for nesting boxes?

Post by windwalkingwolf » Wed Nov 28, 2018 2:39 am

I had some big black (5 gallon I think) planters, the kind you get bushes and shrubs in, that had split at the bottom. I thought they'd make great nesting boxes for my Jersey Giants. I cut out the bottom, just leaving a lip to hold in nesting material (and eggs), and screwed the top edge to to coop wall. All twelve hens at the time, all used one planter and ignored the other two. They turned out not to be big enough for the Giants...They could comfortably lay one egg, but couldn't fit two birds at a time, and if a second egg got laid in there, one would often get broken. One Giant went broody in the "favourite" nesting planter, and managed to hatch one egg, but I think if it had been much bigger, she wouldn't have broken so many eggs. These planters looked huge before I installed them, but turned out to be better suited to sexlink-sized birds. Great use of old broken planting pots though.
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I don't have any pictures, but now I use storage tubs. Lidded, turned upside-down, and a chicken-sized hole cut in the end or in the side. Big or small, all the hens like these. Dark and private for them, easy to clean for me, win-win!
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Pollo Caballo
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Re: Anybody have items repurposed for nesting boxes?

Post by Pollo Caballo » Wed Nov 28, 2018 10:46 am

Haha. Happy, i have reused those same type of large plastic cat litter containers... but not for nest boxes ...but as containers to put my crushed oyster shell and hen grit in!! Works well for that too!
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Shnookie
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Re: Anybody have items repurposed for nesting boxes?

Post by Shnookie » Mon Dec 03, 2018 3:59 pm

I bought 2 of these plastic dog houses from an ad on Kijiji. I give them to the pullets to use for winter houses. When they are old enough, they start laying in them.
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I have two different covered cat litter pans that I use for nest boxes - one round and one rectangle.
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