How to Make Nesting Boxes for Chickens

Whether you are a professional farmer or you simply want to try raising chickens at home, there are many ways to avoid the cost of commercial farming supplies. One of the easiest ways to keep the cost of raising poultry down is to build your own chicken coop and to make your own nesting boxes. When building your own nesting boxes, you can make them as simple or as elaborate as you want. Chickens just need a place that is safe and comfortable for them to lay their eggs.

Things You'll Need

  • Large plastic bowl
  • Bedding
  • Plywood sheets
  • 1-inch by1-inch plywood, at least 20 feet long
  • Hammer and nails or nail gun
  • Jigsaw
  • Fine sandpaper
  • Metal hinges (optional)
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Instructions

  1. Building Nesting Boxes

    • 1

      Assemble the base of your nesting boxes by laying out a 14-inch by 40-inch sheet of plywood. Nail down a 12-inch length of 1-by-1 plywood on both of the narrow ends of the sheet and two more in between to divide the sheet into three 12-inch sections. Nail down a 40-inch strip of 1-by-1 plywood along the length of the plywood sheet at the top and bottom.

    • 2

      Assemble the top of the nesting boxes by repeating the process outlined in step 1. When finished, you should have two sheets of plywood divided with slats of 1-by-1 plywood into three 12-by-12 squares.

    • 3

      Cut four pieces of plywood to measure 14 inches by 14 inches and two pieces measuring 40 inches by 14 inches. Nail one of the 14-by-14 pieces of plywood to each of the two center slats on the base of the nesting box to create walls dividing the three nesting boxes.

    • 4

      Stand the base of the nesting box on its side on the ground with the flat bottom facing toward you and the plywood slats and walls facing away from you. Lay one of the 40-by-14 sheets of plywood on top of the base, aligning the edges, and nail it in place.

    • 5

      Flip the nesting box over so the base is resting flat on the ground and place the top of the nesting box in position. The slats nailed to the top of the nesting box should be facing down, into the box. Nail the top in place by inserting nails along the long side and along both of the slats connecting the two walls dividing the nesting boxes.

    • 6

      Nail the remaining two 14-by-14" sheets of plywood to each side of the nesting box to close the structure.

    • 7

      Trace three 10-inch by 10-inch squares on the remaining 40-by-14 sheet of plywood. To position the squares properly, draw a line all the way across the length of the board 2 inches in from the top and bottom edges. Draw six lines across the width of the board at 1.5 inches, 11.5 inches, 13.5 inches, 23.5 inches, 28.5 inches, and 38.5 inches.

    • 8

      Cut out the three squares using a jigsaw and sand the edges smooth with fine sandpaper.

    • 9

      Attach the front of the nesting box -- the sheet of plywood with the three openings -- and line up the edges. To make it easier to access the eggs and clean out the box, you can attach the front of the nesting box with hinges rather than nailing it down.

    • 10

      Fill each of the three nesting boxes with a layer of bedding and position it in the desired location within your chicken coop.

    Cheap and Easy Nesting Boxes

    • 11

      Purchase several large plastic bowls at least 12 inches in diameter.

    • 12

      Cut out a large section of the bowl to make it possible for the chicken to step into and out of the bowl easily.

    • 13

      Put down a layer of bedding in the bottom of the bowl and place it under a shelf in the chicken coop. The shelf above the bowl will make the hen feel more secure and the round shape of the bowl should make for a perfectly comfortable nesting box.