In keeping up with proper animal welfare, it important you find functional ways for poultry farming. As most people are looking to rear chicken for eggs or meat, many are opting to upcycle materials from their farms to make chicken nesting boxes. These recycled materials are readily available, and they significantly cut the cost of poultry farming.
Basically, chicken nest boxes can be made from almost any non-toxic material from your backyard. Materials such as rubber storage boxes, buckets, crates or any sizeable container can be turned into a clean and safe nest box. Portability and the easy to clean are your main factors when looking to make a chicken nest box. Other important factors are sunlight, wind, heat and rain. You wouldn’t want to place the nest box outside when it’s raining, or when the sunlight is blazing hot. This will create unfavourable conditions for your chicken and its eggs. Depending on the season, you can occasionally move the nest to a suitable place, but ensure your chickens are on proper ventilation and optimum sunlight at all times.
Nest boxes are primarily used to foster a clean and peaceful environment for hens to lay their eggs. When building a nest, ensure that it will facilitate smooth collection and hatching of eggs. A good nest should serve as a tool for proper poultry farming practice. Although there are no specific rules on how a bed nest should appear, it’s up to how you want it to look like and function. While most poultry farmers use hay in nests to offer clean bedding platform, other simply put pieces of wood or chicken feathers. However, hay makes an ideal bed since it provides a more natural habitat for chicken. In addition, hay is easy to clean when it become soiled and damp.
However, as much as you’d want to keep some varmint away from your nest boxes, some will find a way to disrupt the peaceful environment for your chicken and even dare to eat the eggs and chicks. So as to tame these pests, install a lid type cover over your coop and ensure you latch it during the night to prevent any access to the nest box.
As you think of adding a new nest box for your bountiful chickens, just look around your house, and you might just find an ideal and inexpensive nesting box. With no skills at all, you can quickly build a nest box from scratch.