Nest box

A nest box is a small, enclosed space where hens go to lay eggs, usually lined with soft bedding and positioned lower and darker than the roosting bars so it feels private and safe rather than exposed. A common guideline is one box for every three to four hens, since hens tend to favor one or two popular boxes anyway rather than spreading out evenly across every box available.

Boxes that sit too close to the roosting bars in height often get used for sleeping instead of laying, which leaves droppings in the bedding and dirties any eggs laid there overnight. Roll-away nest boxes solve a related problem by letting a freshly laid egg roll into a separate, hen-inaccessible compartment, which helps in flocks where egg eating has become a habit.

Collecting eggs at least once or twice a day keeps them cleaner and reduces the chance of a hen going broody on a full box or another bird cracking one by accident. A common mistake is providing too few boxes for the flock size, which pushes overflow hens to lay on the coop floor or in hidden spots in the run that are easy to miss during collection.