As we continue planning for chickens this spring, work continues on the coop. The most recent project has been nesting boxes. Although it will be many months until they are needed for egg laying, I want to get the boxes installed so we then know where to put the roost. I started by googling photos of nesting boxes and learning about the size needed by a chicken. The most commonly cited size box was 12 inches by 12 inches by 12 inches for a standard-size chicken. If the boxes are too large, more than one chicken may try to use the box, which can lead to broken eggs. I also read that chickens apparently stand up while laying the actual egg, and so like a little headroom. I decided to build my nest boxes to be 12 inches by 12 inches, by 14 inches high.
I did not find much in the way of plans online. I saw one simple design I liked, that consisted of a length of 2 by 10, divided into several cubbies using 2 by 10 cutoffs. I am not sure how many chickens we will end up with, but my research indicated that one nest box for every 2 to chickens is sufficient. If we have a dozen chickens, four boxes would be enough, but I based my initial design on six boxes. It would be more efficient to have the layout be three cubbies over three, rather than have one long 2 by 10. The height suggested plywood may be a good choice of materials. I opted to create a design using a sheet of 3/4-inch plywood. I made a sketch and then created a cut sheet, basing the dimensions on a 4 foot by 8 foot sheet of plywood. If the nesting boxes have a flat roof, the chickens will sit on it and poop, so I planned for an angled roof.
I picked up a sheet of plywood and a 4 x 8 sheet of 2-inch rigid insulation from the Amish lumberyard to serve a a work surface for cutting. I am not a big fan of trying to run sheet goods through my table saw, so I planned to use a circular saw for most of the cuts. I laid out the two outside vertical elements first, and cut dados to receive shelves. I then laid out the shelves and cut dados for dividers. While my Rigid table saw has been a good purchase, its limitation is that throat plates are not available for stacked dado blades, so I used a router to create all of the dados. I bought a half-sheet of 1/4-inch plywood for the back, and cut dados accordingly.
By the end of the first weekend, I had the case built. I realized that I could include a third row of cubbies, rather than adding a roof, so ended up with having nine cubbies. The second weekend of the build included cutting and installing the dividers, and then dressing up the plywood edges with molding. The top group of cubbies proved to be a challenge due to the angled cuts of the molding. The final product is very sturdy, and will hopefully prove enticing to chickens for their eggs. I just have to get it out of the basement and into the coop.
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