Many breeders prefer nests to ordinary chicken coops with a perch, and often do it yourself, using improvised materials and tools. Such devices can increase egg laying hens, improve the quality of the laid eggs and protect them from biting. There are various options for home-made nests, so each breeder can find a suitable option for his house.
Slot Requirements
When making homemade chicken houses, attention must be paid to the following parameters.
Dimensions. This is one of the most important criteria, since the chicken will not be carried in a narrow house. According to the accepted standard, the depth of the nest should be from 30 to 40 cm, and the height and width should be at least 30 cm. At the same time, the height of the nut cannot be less than 5 cm.
The optimal dimensions of the nest depending on the breed of bird are given in the table:
Breed | Width cm | Depth cm | Height cm |
Laying hen | 25 | 35 | 35 |
Meat and egg | 30 | 40 | 45 |
Material. It must be durable in order to ensure long-term construction. In this regard, you should not use paper, cardboard or another similar resource. As a rule, breeders choose boards that polish well, and protruding parts are cut off with a grinder so that the layers do not get hurt. In addition, it is advisable to use short nails. If at hand there are only long self-tapping screws, their protruding parts will also have to be cut off with a grinder and wiped with a file, otherwise a sharp ledge will be dangerous for the bird.
The nest should be as comfortable as possible so that the chicken is comfortable in it. Untreated wood with splinters, sharp ledges, tips of nails or self-tapping screws - all this should not be, otherwise the layers can suffer or refuse to rush in such a nest.
Microclimate. There should be no drafts or high humidity inside the nest, since all this negatively affects the health of the bird, increases the risk of diseases and reduces the laying ability of the hens. In this regard, houses for chickens should not be done near the entrance to the chicken coop, near ventilation openings or close to the walls of the room.
Roof tilt. If possible, it is worthwhile to maintain a slope of 45 ° so that the bird does not constantly sit on top of the nest.
The presence of sticks for takeoff. It should be placed in front of the entrance, at a distance of at least 10 cm from it. The optimal section of such a shelf is 5x2 cm.
A drawing of a chicken nest of standard dimensions, which meets all the requirements, is presented below:
The number of nests depends on the scale of the economy, but keep in mind that at least 1 place should come to 5 individuals.
Design Varieties
There are different types of laying hens:
- In the form of boxes. They are a kind of houses that resemble a box with openings for entry. Inside, a comfortable space is created where chickens can retire and rush in a relaxed atmosphere. Boxes may differ in the number of cells. In any case, chickens will quickly get used to them. To do this, you just need to close them inside the house for a while.
- From improvised materials (boxes, baskets). Such nests are often resorted to by breeders who have not yet had time to completely equip the chicken coop, keep a small population or plan to breed them only temporarily. Such devices will be quite comfortable for laying hens, if you make them from solid and clean materials. Their main disadvantages are that they do not always allow the rational use of space and are short-lived.
- With egg collector. Such a nest involves a specially designated place for collecting eggs. To do this, make either a hole in the form of a funnel or an inclined floor. So, the eggs will go immediately to a special tray, which will greatly simplify the process of collecting. In this case, the laying hen will not come into contact with the eggs, so the likelihood of spoiling or biting is minimized.
The most preferred option is a nest with an egg collector, although making it with your own hands is more difficult than other types of this product.
Socket Instructions
There are various ways of making nests, which depend on their variety. With a little effort, you can use them to assemble a real house in which birds can comfortably sit and lay eggs. We consider all possible options below.
In the form of a box
This is a rectangular box, the dimensions of which can be changed depending on the area of the chicken coop and the breed of the hens. It can be folded not only in a row, but also in several tiers. An exemplary drawing of a two-tier structure is as follows:
There are two ways to assemble such a design.
Option number 1
A box is constructed with the following parameters:
- width - 0.25 m;
- height - 0.35 m;
- depth - 0.35-0.45 m.
To assemble a similar nest, you need to prepare:
- plywood or boards;
- timber;
- fasteners;
- sand paper;
- a screwdriver;
- a hammer;
- jigsaw.
When assembling a socket in the form of a box, the procedure is as follows:
- The used wood material is treated with sandpaper.
- Saw the workpiece, strictly adhering to the previously performed calculations. Initially, you need to determine the optimal number of cells, and multiply the resulting number by the width of one cell (at least 25 cm). Using the same formula, determine the height of the box. When keeping a large number of birds, several floors should be made.
- Connect the workpieces to each other using fasteners like nails.
- On the inside of the resulting box, fix the beam diagonally (in the corners). Thanks to this, the design will be more durable.
- Leave the entrance open or cut inlet openings that correspond to the number of places for layers. Then sheathe the box.
- Make a nut with a width of at least 10 cm. To do this, you need to take a bar of suitable size and fix it from the bottom along the entire length of the structure divided into cells.
- Secure the take-off platform at a distance of 10 cm from the inlet.
When constructing a nest in several tiers, it is necessary to make the stairs in such a way that there is one staircase for each tier.
Option number 2
In this embodiment, the manufacture of the socket will require the same tools as in the previous one. As for the set of necessary materials, it looks like this:
- plywood board with a thickness of 5-15 mm;
- square burs with a side of 25 mm;
- a metal mesh for the bottom with a diameter of not more than 7 mm, otherwise chicken paws will get stuck in it and the flooring for the pallet will fall through;
- fasteners (nails, screws or hardware 15-25 mm long and 2-3 mm thick);
- straw or sawdust for flooring.
The wood materials used must be well dried so that moisture does not accumulate in the chicken lodge boxes.
Having prepared everything you need, you can begin to manufacture the nests:
- Grind coarsely trimmed boards or timber. Initially, they can be processed with a planer, and then with a grinder.
- Using a jigsaw, cut out the bottom and the walls of the boxes from the plywood board.
- Divide the beam into 4 vertical supports 0.3 m high, and then connect them along the perimeter with a horizontal beam to get a structure similar to a bench frame without a seat.
- Install a pallet on the assembled frame, which should protrude 10 cm forward.
- Attach 2 beams to a pallet. They need to be placed one above the other to obtain an elevation of 5 cm. The distance between the double bars is 30-40 cm so that each of them is under the adjacent wall of neighboring nests.
- At the elevation, install a metal mesh, and along the entire length of the assembled structure.
- Install the first tier of crates without bottoms on the grid, and set a threshold height of 10-12 cm as the front wall, otherwise the eggs will fall out of the crates. The connections of the side walls with the lid and the rear wall should be strengthened from the inside with the help of longitudinal bars.
- On the first tier, re-install 2 beams along the edges with the net, as in step 5. Next, build all the upper tiers of the boxes. At the same time, for each of them it is necessary to install a pallet protruding 10 cm, which will also act as a nut. To it, and you need to attach a round beam along the entire length of the tier to obtain a take-off platform.
- Install the cover of the last tier at an inclination of 35-45 ° relative to the horizon. This is necessary so that the laying hens are not located on it for hatching eggs. However, there is no need to tilt if the distance between the ceiling of the chicken coop and the top cover of the structure is small.
- Using a continuous plywood sheet with a width of 20-30 cm, make a ladder for the upper tiers. To do this, it is enough to nail pieces of timber every 10-15 cm to the sheet.
- Pour sawdust or straw onto a metal mesh. Gradually, they will get wet and fall onto the pallet, so they will need to be removed, while updating the mesh coverage.
When assembling a multi-tiered structure, it should be borne in mind that it is better to collect the boxes in whole tiers, since in this way plywood can be saved by installing common adjacent walls.
Double-bottom egg collector
A similar design is also called a "nest-trap" and suggests such differences:
- provides a slope for the box in which the chicken will be carried, so that the eggs will slide into a special tray, remaining intact due to the lack of contact with birds;
- equipped with a double bottom, and it is the upper floor that has a slope and a hole through which the eggs will slide into a special tray for collection.
Such a nest should have a height of at least 40-45 cm to provide the necessary slope of the bottom. His scheme is as follows:
Similar nests can also be arranged in the form of tiers, but in this case it must be taken into account that the egg collector is located behind the nest, therefore, it will additionally be necessary to think over the collection of eggs from medium boxes. It can be organized in two ways:
- arrange a place for the passage between the tiers of the structure and the wall of the chicken coop;
- reduce the length of the tiers to allow all eggs to be taken along the sides of the nests.
Regardless of the method chosen, two instructions can be used to make a nest with an egg collector.
Option number 1
Together with the basic materials and tools mentioned above, you must also prepare:
- 2 cm plywood slats for the sides of the pallet;
- glazing beads with a cross section of 10 mm;
- upholstery for a pallet (rubber, non-slip felt, linoleum turned inside out);
- knife and scissors.
Double-bottom jacks are assembled according to this instruction:
- Calculate the optimal dimensions of the nest, and then increase its height by 5 cm. The optimal dimensions of such a house are 60x35x35 cm.
- After the calculations, assemble the support structure according to the previously given instructions.
- In front of the assembled frame, identify the places of future walls and install short vertical bars 6 cm high if the depth of the pallet is 40 cm. If it is different, it is necessary to calculate the optimal height of the supporting bars to provide an angle of inclination of the bottom to the rear wall of the structure at 5 °.
- Install the plywood sheet-pallet on the assembled frame so that it protrudes 10 cm forward (for a nut) and 20 cm behind (for an egg collector).
- Install the slots on the inclined pallet so that the distance from the back wall to the bottom is 6-8 cm. Due to this, a passage for eggs is formed.
- Pin the glazing beads around the perimeter of the egg collector to prevent egg loss. Before them, you also need to install vertical rails 2 cm high.
- The bottom of the pallet upholstered with felt, rubber or other soft material.
- Nail opaque fabric on both sides of the aisle. In addition, it must be flexible so that it bends under the pressure of the eggs. The best option is a loose rubberized fabric.
- Install the take-off platform and put straw or sawdust on the net.
How to construct nests with a trap is described in detail in the video below:
Option number 2
In this case, after collecting the supporting structure, you must perform the following steps:
- Cut two halves of the sloping floor measuring 35x15 cm. When they are fastened, a gap should form in which the eggs will freely pass. Attach one blank to the back wall at a height of 20 cm and at an angle of 15 °.
- Attach two partitions in place of the front wall. To the bottom of them, measuring 10x35 cm, first beat the second half of the inclined floor. Between it and the bottom there should be a slot for the collecting tray.
- Attach the second partition 15x35 cm in size to the top of the slot to cover the entrance.
- Make a drawer by knocking it down in size or using any suitable tray. Its depth should be 10 cm greater than the depth of the nest, otherwise it will not be possible to freely collect eggs from the outside. Place the pan at a slope of 5 °. Layer its bottom with a thick layer of soft material so that the eggs land gently and do not break.
It is recommended that the floor in the nest be meshed to ensure that the flooring is ventilated. To do this, you can use a wire that will need to be weaved, leaving cells measuring 4x5 cm. On this floor, you should place the litter in the form of straw or sawdust.
With egg container
In this case, the nest is equipped with a special egg container, which will act as an egg collector. To make the structure, you will need:
- plywood sheet, particleboard;
- an egg container;
- soft material;
- nails
- hacksaw;
- milk.
The construction is done in the following sequence:
- Assemble the box according to the previously given methods, taking into account the fact that the bottom needs to be fixed at an angle of 10 °.
- Cut the entry hole and close the front of the slot.
- Cut a hole on the bottom of the back wall, the diameter of which slightly exceeds the chicken egg.
- Place a container under the bottom, having previously covered it with soft material so that the eggs do not break during rolling. However, there should be little upholstery so that it does not prevent eggs from entering the container.
The bottom of the nest needs to be covered with a thick layer of flooring, otherwise it may make it difficult to roll eggs into the tray.
Mounted nests
Similar designs can be made from various improvised materials. For example, ready-made wooden boxes of light weight or plastic boxes with a trellised bottom, which are often used to store fruit, are an excellent option.
The main criterion for such a design is sufficient strength, since the mounted sockets are devoid of support, since they are fastened only with side mounts. If there is no certainty that the design can withstand a chicken with laid eggs, a soft box should be installed with additional fasteners in the form of wire cords that will support its edges to the wall of the chicken coop.
Mounted sockets must be insulated using such materials:
- felt;
- thick woolen cloth;
- foam covered with thin plywood;
- rammed straw.
Mineral wool should not be used as a heater, since insects can easily damage it.
The wall needs to be insulated, which is adjacent to the main wall of the chicken coop. To lighten the weight of the structure, it is better to use thin plywood up to 0.5 cm thick as the back wall of the nest. Insulation material needs to be clamped between it and the chicken coop wall.
Of course, hinged nests can also be assembled from wooden material, following this instruction:
- Prepare a drawing based on the size of the chicken coop.
- From a timber measuring 5x5 cm, build a frame and attach plywood to it.
- Build the bottom with a beam or metal mesh.
- Attach the sheathing material and lay insulation on top of it.
- Connect all the details of the nest to each other with bolts with the sheathed side inward, and then drill holes in the rear bars to subsequently attach them to the wall of the chicken coop.
- For free access to the eggs in the front of the structure to build a door, which is also insulated.
- Attach the roof in the form of a plywood sheet. Its surface should be covered with foil, and on top of it lay a metal tile.
- Build partitions, placing them in the inner part of the nest. To do this, cut the sheet of the desired size and attach it with the help of strips to the bottom.
Mounted nests are an excellent option for wooden chicken coops, as they allow more rational use of free space. However, remember the need for their insulation.
Where to place homemade nests?
Nests must be installed in designated areas. When determining them, the following rules must be taken into account:
- The place should be dark or in the shade, that is, protected from sunlight. If this is not due to the small size of the house, you can install not the sills, but the front walls, in which you need to make holes for the passage with a diameter of 20-25 cm. They should be located at a height of at least 8 cm from the level of the flooring on the grid.
- The place should be warm and dry. If the floor is made of plywood, it is worth making ventilation holes in it so that the flooring is ventilated and the house remains dry.
- The location of the nests should be such that the breeder has easy access to them for continuous disinfection and cleaning.
- Nests cannot be placed in the corners and at the very entrance to the house. Although these zones are dark, they are cool and prone to drafts, so the bird can easily get sick here.
- It is necessary to place the nests at a distance of at least 30 cm from the floor, since the earth is always cold and humid, due to which the bird can easily catch a cold and become less active, which will certainly affect its egg production.
- Do not attach the sockets directly to the wall, as this arrangement shortens the life of the entire structure. In addition, in the cold season, the house will be quite cold, which will negatively affect the performance of chickens.
To place the nests, it is worth choosing dark and warm places, protected from drafts.
As an option, you can use improvised items to equip the nests according to the recommendations above:
Useful Tips
When assembling and operating chicken nests, the following recommendations should be considered:
- To create conditions convenient for hens in the nest, lay the floor with hay or sawdust. The second option is preferable, since birds can easily throw hay from the house. To prevent the eggs from rolling out, the flooring should be 3-4 cm below the sides of the structure.
- Put the nests in the house before the chickens are launched, so that they can get used to them faster.
- After assembly, carefully inspect the inside of the socket to be comfortable, as well as without nails and other pricking protrusions.
- Keep the nests clean and dry. To do this, the flooring needs to be changed as it becomes wet from chicken secretions. At the same time, the mesh must also be wiped with disinfectant solutions, and then aerate the nest. A similar procedure should be carried out at least once a week.
- Every 3 months, check the strength of the nests to the floor and walls of the house. If necessary, they need to be strengthened to prevent destruction of the structure.
- Before the onset of cold weather, check the quality of all insulation materials. If they become worthless, they must be replaced. With the advent of frost, it is worth checking the temperature in the nests at least 2 times a day to make sure the insulation is reliable. Please note that in winter the temperature in the chicken coop should not fall below 15 ° C.
Nests allow you to increase the quantity and quality of eggs brought by chickens. You can not only buy them, but also make them yourself, using ready-made drawings and instructions. Of course, one must proceed from a number of individual parameters, including the number of goals in the farm and the availability of free space in the chicken coop.