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Thursday, May 21, 2009

Raising Poultry - DIY Nest Boxes


Trying to raise chickens on a very tight budget can get expensive if you always have to go out and buy the necessary equipment. If you are a do-it-yourself chicken farmer, there are plenty of places where you can buy different types of poultry equipment. You can save a lot of money by just re-cycling everyday household items. One of the easiest things you can make is nesting boxes.


Building a nesting box is not a requirement but it sure makes it easier to collect eggs from your hens that are laying. This will save you from having to hunt for eggs and will allow you to gather them in one specific location. No need for egg hunting, all you do is go gather your eggs from your nesting boxes. Of course you will always have one or two hens of an “independent” nature that will decide to go off somewhere on their own and lay their eggs. You’ll just need to keep an eye out for them. Most hens if given a good nesting box will use it on a regular basis and continue to do so the majority of the time.


One of the quickest and easiest ways to make a nesting box for your chickens is by using old five gallon plastic buckets. Even if your bucket has lost its handle or got a crack or small hole in it, they can still be used to make a simple nesting box. By laying the bucket on its side and giving it a little additional support on the bottom, they make excellent nesting boxes. We use old plastic buckets all the time and they work great. Another good thing about the plastic buckets is they also offer some additional insulation value for the nests and they aren’t affected if you happen to get a small leak in the roof.

Just add a little nesting material to the bucket and you’ve got a great nesting box. We also use old golf balls in the nests as fake eggs. Use your imagination and get creative before you go out and spend a lot of money on fancy equipment you can get by without if you just give it some thought. You can also use old milk crates, plastic bins and storage containers, old plastic trash cans or whatever you may have lying around.

So don’t throw your old cracked and broken buckets away when you can make a nesting box for your chickens!
Check out Bitmap’s pics of chickens and other stuff.

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker


Original: http://stealthsurvival.blogspot.com/2009/04/raising-poultry-diy-nest-boxes.html

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