DIY chicken nests can be as simple or creative as you choose them to be.  I have found that these DIY chicken nests are true examples that necessity is the mother of invention. I remember when we built our first backyard chicken coop out of PVC pipe and plastic garden fence – we used 5 gallon buckets for nest.  Sure our first coop wasn’t much to look at but it worked!

When it comes to providing your girls DIY chicken nests, there are a few things to consider:

1. You’ll need one for every 4 hens.  Trust me here, they’ll all want to lay in one nest even if you provide one for each of them!
2. Most experts recommend that you have the nests raised off the ground; even a few inches makes them feel more secure.
3. Make them private – hens prefer dark, secluded places to lay their eggs.  I have even seen some cute curtains added to coop nest areas.
4. Keep them clean – providing fresh bedding daily.  I like to use nesting pads, which I replace weekly and then cover with straw or pine bedding (cleaned daily) and some nesting herbs recommended by Fresh Eggs Daily.
5. Make sure your nest is big enough for your breed of chicken.

Now on to the amazing DIY Chicken Nests!

Have an old dresser?  How about converting it to a secure nesting box? From Backyard Chicken Project

If you’re like me, then you have a ton of 5 gallon buckets around the homestead. I love using these because they are super easy to keep clean.  From Five Gallon Ideas

There are tons of ideas using milk crates for nests – but this is one of my favorites.  I couldn’t find an original source for this photo, sorry.

One man’s trash is another chicken’s nest….or something like that. Instead of trashing this old china hutch piece, this has been painted and re-purposed as an adorable DIY chicken nest station! From Insteading.com

Even an old wine barrel can be converted to an attractive DIY chicken nest; with very little effort. This is just picture perfect in addition to being useful. From Fresh Eggs Daily

Again, love this because it is easy to make and very easy to keep clean.  I would probably need to add some additional ventilation if I was using this in Phoenix – the summers here are brutal.  You can watch the how-to video on this DIY chicken nest below.

Well I hope these 6 DIY Chicken nests help you to create a fun, simple and easy to clean nest box for your hens. We don’t have to spend a fortune to have efficient nests for our girls!