Today we made some new nest boxes for the chicken shed from some wooden wine boxes that we had.
A wooden wine box
Butterscotch was in the nest box in her trance like broody state so I picked her up and tried her in the wine box to see if it was big enough.
I tried Butterscotch in it for size
She allowed me to pick her up and put her in the wine box then pick her up again and return her to the nest box without moving a muscle.
We set about adapting the wine boxes
One of the new nest boxes
The other new nest box
We put one each side of the shed because we didn’t want them under the perch or ladder where they would get pooped on but we didn’t want them to restrict the ladder being lifted up for cleaning either.
I tried butterscotch in the new nest box
As butterscotch was so easy to move I decided to try her in the new box. I shut the shed door and to my surprise she stayed put in the new box. At lunch time she came out on her own.
I closed the little coop nest boxes so that she would stay out for a bit and she actually stayed out for an hour, eating, drinking, pooped, scratched and preened. She then walked all round the little coop nest boxes as if trying to work out where the door had gone. Finally she sat down next to the little coop nest box so I opened them up again and she went straight in. I didn’t want to stress her.
We decided the new nest boxes needed a bit of wood on their front to make the girls feel secure.
A little improvment
And the other one
The girls came in to investigate.
Honey takes a look
Peaches takes a look
Peaches did jump into the new nest box but she had jumped back out again before I managed to click the camera.
I am not sure that this will help with Butterscotch at the moment but I think it will help in the spring and it will give the girls plenty of time to get used to the new boxes. Also I think Butterscotch being my biggest girl, followed by Toffee and Topaz, may find the new boxes a bit small but I think the rest of the girls will fit in them easily and Peaches and Barley have already laid an egg each in the shed before now so they may take to the new boxes.
I will tempt Butterscotch out of the nest box with sunflower seeds again tonight at five o’clock and then close the little coop nest boxes. That way she can either roost on the ladder or go in one of the new boxes. I will report back tomorrow to update on how this works out.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
That’s the reason for drinking wine ! I knew there was a reason .
Yeh! Some good comes from drinking wine!
Looks like effective work; the bar over the front will also, next season, protect any eggs from falling to the floor – although you have a generous covering of bedding!
You are right, the bar will keep the eggs in. All we need now is to see if the girls use them. I hope they will discover them when they are ready to lay again.