Tag: best nesting boxes

Budget Friendly Rollaway Chicken Nesting Boxes

USA Amish made heavy duty galvanized metal rollaway chicken nesting boxes utilize clean drop manure tray collection instead of using messy laying mats. Single and double stack models available.

Colony Rollaway Chicken Nesting Boxes Feature:

  • Lower Prices
  • Open community concept boxes to accommodate more hens.
  • 48” Signal and Double Layer Models.
  • Front and Rear Egg Collection Systems.
  • Thicker Gauge Galvanized Metal Parts.
  • Roll forward Protective Egg Collection Trays.
  • Slide out easy clean manure trays, no messy laying mats.
  • Made in America Product Using No Plastic Trays or Parts.
  • Easy Lift Off for Power Washing.

Colony-48-rollaway-nest-boxColony-double-layer-rollaway-nest

Colony Rollaway Chicken Nesting Boxes are patterned from the open community concept laying cages used in commercial egg production facilities.

Without having individual divided nest boxes, it was discovered that the boxes handled nearly double the amount of laying hens over a traditional divided nest box.

This provides fewer nest boxes needed and valuable square footage to maintain.  Curtains are used to mimic the look of individual nest boxes, plus they help darken the inside of the box to make the chickens feel comfortable in using them.

Community Rollaway Nesting Boxes were first introduced online by Cottage Craft Works.com.  Since then they became so popular other dealers have branded them as if they were the manufacturer.

The fact is they are made by an Amish company one of only two Amish companies making these heavy galvanized rollaway nest boxes.  Both companies build great performing nest boxes with their own approach to the design and functionality.

The Amish build things to last and feel comfortable to sell them to other Amish communities so these nesting boxes are built extremely well to last for a very long time.

You won’t find plastic trays, end caps, or rails that will eventually become brittle and break like used in some other chicken nesting boxes on the market.

Metal nesting boxes offer superior performance over wooden boxes and if compared to the material cost of the wood and hardware to duplicated them in wood.

The metal construction also provides easy cleaning and disinfection in cases of infestations which just can’t be accomplished with built-in raw wooden boxes.

Maintenance and upkeep of nesting boxes and coops are a very important consideration in investing in the metal nest boxes. Between the Community and Colony Rollaway nest boxes, one important factor should be considered and that is the mundane task of manure clean out.

The Community Rollaway Nest Boxes are built on the concept of using a laying mat inside the box for both the egg and manure to drop on.  Obviously not cleaning the manure out frequent enough will inhibit the rolling of the eggs into the protected compartment not to mention the clean eggs are being subjected to rolling in the manure. Buyers can purchase extra laying mats to switch out while one set is being cleaned.  In time they will need to be replaced.

In a different approach, the Colony Rollaway Nest Boxes use a PVC coated wire mesh floor for the eggs to drop on and roll forward while the manure droppings fall through and collect on a pull-out tray located just under the egg collection box.  The wire mesh is inserted at a slight slope and curvature so that it cushions the eggs and forces them to roll into the protected box.

Manure cleanup is much quicker and easier on the Colony Nest boxes without having to disturb the laying hens or ever reaching inside the nest box.  There’s also no mats to wash out and replace.

Colony nest boxes are available either as a front or rear collection options in 24″, 48″ and a double stack 48″.  The double stack or double layer as it’s called is really the best buy as you would normally have to purchase two of the 48″ Colony or Community boxes for that type of capacity.

Both the Community and Colony Nest Boxes offer a rear egg collection option and are available at www.cottagecraftworks.com