How to Build Chicken Roost Boxes

Chickens will roost and nest in most anything you provide.

Chickens aren't picky and will use most anything you provide for them to roost and nest in. Building a chicken roosting or laying box doesn't even need to involve carpentry. You can set up a wooden crate or large wash bowl as a roosting box. Or you can easily nail together a simple wooden box for chickens to use for nesting.

Things You'll Need

• Wood crate
• Wash bowl
• 4 pieces of 12- by 12-inch wood
• 1 piece of 12- by 2-inch wood
• Nails
• Saw

Instructions

1. Nail three pieces of 12- by 12-inch wood to a bottom fourth piece of wood to construct a topless, three-sided box. Nail the 12- by 2-inch wood piece to the front of the nest box. Place 2 inches of straw in the bottom of the box.

2. Place a wooden crate in your chicken coop. Use a saw to cut an entrance for the chickens into one side of the crate. Leave a 2-inch lip in the entrance to prevent eggs from falling out. Place straw 2 inches deep in the bottom of the crate.

3. Use an old wash basin as a nesting box. Cut down one side of the basin to provide ease of entrance for the chicken. Place 2 inches of straw in the bottom of the bowl.

Tips & Warnings

• You can build nesting boxes with a roof, but be sure to cut sides at a 20-degree angle to provide a slope in the roof so chickens will be discouraged from roosting on top of the roosting boxes.

References

• Chicken Nesting Boxes: How To Make Chicken Nesting Boxes
• By Example: Chicken Nesting Boxes
• The Easy Chicken for beginners: Housing Your Birds