Nest Box Design for Laying Hens | Animal Welfare Hub

Nest box provision and design is one of the most welfare-significant elements of laying hen housing, affecting pre-lay behavior, nesting satisfaction, and broodiness-related frustration.

Key Facts

Hens have a strong nesting drive that peaks 1-2 hours before laying - frustration of this drive causes chronic stress
One nest box per 5-7 hens is the recommended minimum - overcrowding causes queuing stress and floor laying
Dark, enclosed nest boxes with appropriate bedding materials are strongly preferred by hens over open designs
Pre-lay behaviors including nest searching and settling take up to 45 minutes and must be accommodated
In enriched colony cages, the quality and siting of nest curtains significantly affects their uptake rate

Welfare Considerations

Nest box provision is one of the few aspects of laying hen welfare where the animal's behavioral preference is clearly expressed and easily measured - hens queue for and vocalize distress when preferred nesting sites are unavailable. The nesting drive is a behavioral need, not merely a behavioral tendency, meaning its frustration causes genuine welfare compromise. Nest box design that provides enclosure, appropriate substrate, and adequate capacity relative to group size is a minimum welfare provision.

What You Can Do

Choose eggs from systems with meaningful enrichment including enclosed, well-designed nest boxes
Advocate for welfare standards to include minimum nest box specifications beyond simple numbers
Support research into nest box design that optimizes hen welfare across different housing systems
Ask producers about their nest box provision when visiting egg farms or events
Support the transition from cage eggs to free-range and barn systems with appropriate nest provision