A common challenge with poultry especially layers is the design of the design and use of laying boxes. I will be sharing the design of boxes that we have used and the reasons for the design choices, including enhancements we have made in newer iterations

The design considerations are:

1. The slanting top about 45 degrees stops the birds from spending time at the top of the laying box, and soiling it (the last image below illustrates this adequately)
2. The laying box has to be placed close to the wall so that the birds do not climb on the edge
3. The laying boxes are 1 foot wide to fit a laying bird, or even two especially during peak laying times from 9am to 11am
4. The laying boxes are also about 1.5′ high so that there is sufficient clearing for the birds and cleaning is a breeze
5. The floor is slanted at a small angle so that the eggs roll to the wall – it should not be a large angle to break the eggs
6. Coffee husk shavings can also be added on the floor to keep the eggs from cracking when laid, and to provide comfort in cases where the hens are allowed to incubate the eggs
7. At the front is a wood barrier to protect birds inside from getting their behinds pecked by those on the ground (this is common as the birds turn to position themselves to lay) and protects the eggs from being eaten
8. The height of the laying box is about 15cm (0.5′) so that a bird cannot fit below but the birds can get in easily