DIY Chicken Coops

When building a nesting area, or chicken coop, for productive egg production, there are several things to keep in mind: security, comfort, ease of collection and weather resistance. In this article we will look at these four components and how they affect your egg production. First let’s talk about security. Like humans, a chickens egg laying habits are highly affected by stress. Stress can be caused by a number of things for a chicken ranging from lack of food and water to predators like cats, dogs and large birds. Being mindful of a secure surrounding to keep your chickens in and predators out will produce strong egg habits. Once a chicken feels safe in its environment, a comfortable nest is the next priority.

Nesting boxes vary from region to region based on climate but should always include ample space. While chickens often lay in the same location as one another, it is important to provide large nesting spots giving your chickens the ability to find the right spot for their eggs. Chickens lay eggs naturally, however hens will always seek safety for their chicks. Giving your chickens a secluded area away from feeding areas is vitally important. Hens will also seek locations with the high probability of successful during incubation. Providing your chickens with suitable nesting materials is also crucial. For best production, straw or hay make an ideal nesting material but fine fluffy sawdust will also work well for mature birds when straw is not available. As chicks, differentiating between bedding and food is difficult.  If chicks ingest to much wood chips there is a high possibility of death.  Your goal should be to collect eggs on a daily basis, so providing these safe environments will allow hens to lie more regularly.

Ease of collection should be designed with two purposes. First, you want to make it easy to collect your eggs but it is also important that you disturb our laying areas as little as possible. Again, minimize the stress of your hens at every opportunity. Depending on the style of nest you provide your hens, quick access to the laying areas is ideal. When using a box style nest with multiple nesting areas, a hinging roof that accessible from both sides makes for simple and easy collection. When using a more open style nest with single nesting areas, collection from the front works well.

Finally, protecting nesting areas from the elements is mandatory. Wet or cold laying areas will also cause stress for your chickens. Nesting areas that are covered by a good sturdy roof that can repel water eliminates that stress. In colder climates, the proper heat lamp is also advised to give your chickens a normalized nesting area.  Security for nesting areas is primarily accomplished with construction of your chicken coop; however placing nests in less trafficked areas will add an additional measure of security.