An appropriate nest for laying hens – what should it be like?

Nests are an extremely important piece of poultry housing equipment in both professional laying hen farming and hobby farming. It is important that they are properly adapted to the needs of the hens. Why do hens need nests so much?

Because they need to be provided with a suitable place to lay their eggs, and hens are a bit …. fussy in this regard. Ideally, it should be a place that is sheltered, dry and shaded.

The nest itself should be pleasant, dry and clean. A good laying nest should have two key features – firstly, it needs to be stable and solid to support the weight of the chickens, and secondly, it should be soft and comfortable so that the hens want to stay in it and then lay eggs.

What happens when hens do not have properly prepared nests?

Without a nest, the hens will look for an alternative place that they find suitable. They will usually choose a sheltered corner, not necessarily in the hen house. Free-range hens may also lay eggs in the garden or backyard, preferably in dense bushes or other clever hiding places. For the farmer, this means searching for eggs every day, as each hen has her own preferences. In many cases, the eggs may remain lost or be vulnerable to destruction by wild animals such as hedgehogs, martens or foxes. Also, in the open, some hens may drop their eggs on the hard ground or in the mud, resulting in broken or soiled eggs. And that’s probably not what healthy eggs from happy hens should look like, is it?

Nesting in our hen houses offers many benefits for both the hens and their keepers.

The hens have access to a protected and comfortable, pleasant egg-laying area that is available to them at all times or at certain times, and the farmer doesn’t have to search for eggs all over the hen house. In addition, the eggs in the nest remain clean and are protected from damage by a suitable floor or bedding.

In professional poultry houses, automatic/rolled nests are increasingly used, which are hen-friendly, easy to clean and a great convenience for the farmer. These are modern nests whose floor is covered with a special mat on which spelt no longer has to be spilled. The eggs, immediately after laying, roll into a special room, a safe zone to which the hen no longer has access. Such nests can also be easily programmed to open and close at predetermined times, thus avoiding frequent checking that the eggs are safe (as in classic, litter nests). Automatic nests are more practical, especially in terms of cleaning or disinfection. Classic spelt nests, on the other hand, mainly provide protection for the hen’s cloaca against pecking, and spelt or other bedding makes the hen feel very comfortable in the nest.

However, it is not the type of nest that is most important here.

Hens are most likely to choose nests that they can easily access, where they feel safe and where the bedding/mat is clean. They are unwilling to lay in nests that are dirty and have rarely replaced damp bedding. The amount of space for the hen in a given nest is also very important. It is therefore important to take into account not only what kind of nest for the hens to choose, but also – how many nests there should be. At least one nest should be for every seven hens and if group nests are used, at least 1m2 of nest space should be provided for up to 120 hens.

It is also important to change the bedding or clean the mats regularly and add some diatomaceous earth for good hygiene and protection against parasites.

In conclusion, when choosing nests, it should not be forgotten that they are a place where hens rest, calm down and lay eggs. Therefore, it is important that the nests are hen-friendly and, above all, clean. A clean nest is a guarantee of top-quality egg production, whereas a filthy nest, contaminated with dirt, can result in hens not wanting to lay eggs or in eggs not being adequately protected from parasites. Although the farmer will not be laying eggs in the nest, the nest should still be at a convenient height to allow free egg collection and litter exchange. In addition, it should also not take long to dismantle for cleaning or disinfection.

Clean nests mean clean eggs. Comfortable nests mean high laying rates. All of these factors contribute to the profitability of laying hen farming. An interesting fact is that hens are creatures that get used quickly, so once they get used to a particular nest, they will usually lay eggs there every day.