the_sage•16h agoMost Upvoted

Built my nesting boxes facing the wrong way for 2 years

I set up my first coop back in 2020 and put the nesting boxes on the north side because I thought it looked better with the run. For two years I kept wondering why my hens would lay eggs in random corners of the coop instead of the boxes. Last spring I borrowed a book from the library about chicken behavior and it hit me. Nesting boxes need to face east or south so they get morning sun and stay warm. I moved them last August and now my girls actually use them. I lost maybe 200 eggs over those two years because they were hiding them under the roost. Anyone else run into a dumb coop design mistake that took forever to fix?

2 comments

2 Comments

karenw2316h ago

Gawd, I feel this in my bones. I mean, it's such a simple thing but it makes total sense once you know. I did the same thing but with my waterer placement. Had it in full shade thinking it'd keep the water cool but they barely touched it until I moved it into the sun. Idk why we overthink this stuff, the birds basically tell you what they need if you just watch them. Lowkey embarrassing how long it took me to figure out.

joseph_hart13h ago

Not to stir the pot but I see it different. Hens in the wild don't pick nest sites based on compass directions, they pick what feels safe and hidden from predators. I think there's something else going on here that got overlooked. Maybe the old boxes were too exposed to drafts or maybe they had bad ventilation, not necessarily a north facing issue. Could also be the boxes were too bright or had some other problem and the direction was just coincidence. I've seen people obsess over east facing boxes and their hens still lay in weird spots, so it's not a magic fix. Chickens are creatures of habit but they're also stubborn, they'll pick a spot and stick with it for no reason we can figure. Moved my own boxes around three times before I realized they just wanted a spot with deep enough bedding and a little privacy. Sounds like you had a light issue or a draft more than a direction problem. But hey, if it works for your birds now then I'm glad you got it sorted. Just saying there's usually more than one variable at play with these things.