Due to the lack of partitions, the communal style nest box is not only a space saving option, but one in which the hens tend to feel less stressed, and perhaps is more as nature intended as the hens enjoy the community environment. We suggest the following: Our Original Eggtopia Nest Boxes are suitable for up to around 30 large hens, and If you have Bantam's or other smaller poultry, or a mix, you may be able to accommodate more. Our Extra Large Eggtopia Nest Box is 140cm long and has a laying area of .42m2 which according to the Guidance on Legislation Covering the Marketing of Eggs for Free Range and Barn Eggs, is suitable for up to 50 hens. Our Compact Eggtopia Nest Boxes are suitable for up to around 12 large hens, and If you have Bantam's or other smaller poultry, or a mix, you may be able to accommodate more.

For the Original Eggtopia Nest Boxes, a cut out of 810mm long x 150mm high is required for the egg collection tray to simply push through. For the Extra Large Eggtopia Nest Box, a cut out of 1410mm long x 150mm high is required. And for the Compact Eggtopia Nest box, a cut out of 510mm long x 150mm high is required. These measurements are based upon a wall thickness of 12mm, however the height of the cut out just needs to be extended to allow for the lid of the egg collection tray to operate freely, if your wall is thicker.

Hens can sometimes take a little bit of time to get used to new surroundings, here are some helpful tips and tricks to get them started with the Eggtopia Nest Box: • Use some familiar bedding inside the new box, as a temporary measure, and slowly reduce the amount until they are used to laying there. This will of course hinder the eggs from rolling away freely, but as soon as they are happy there, all other bedding can be removed. • Remove any other nest boxes from the coop. This is important, as some hens really are creatures of habit, and might look to lay in a familiar spot above all else. Once alternatives are removed, they will find their new next box really is the best option, and will form a new habit laying exactly where you want them to. • If necessary, use some tape or a magnet to hold open one or more of the privacy curtain flaps. If your hens are not used to any type of curtain, this will undoubtedly help them to adjust. • Hens have a strong instinct to lay where other hens have already laid and so you might like to use artifical eggs temporally held in position on the nest pad to encouage them to lay in the right spot. • Consider keeping the hens inside the hen house until they have finished their morning lay. Do this for a day or two. If your hens free range and like to play hide and seek with their eggs, then keeping them in the run perhaps until midday, or as soon as you know they have all laid, might be a useful temporary measure to encourage nest box laying. • If you spy a hen trying to lay in the wrong place, gently lift her into the nest box. They will soon get the idea! • Remove any eggs laid in the wrong place as soon as possible. As mentioned above, hens have a strong instinct to lay where another hen has already laid. By removing any eggs laid in the wrong place, and utilising dummy eggs, they should soon have the right idea. Most hens are happy to lay in their new nest box almost straight away, but hopefully the above tips will help the transition to be as easy as possible and keep your hens laying happily.

Absolutely, we provide full instructions with all Eggtopia Nest Boxes so that if you wish, at any point you can reverse the direction of the egg collection point, either for internal or external egg collection. This future proofs your coop for any improvements you might like to make at a later date.

Yes absolutely! We strongly recommend that you purchase a spare set to use when deep cleaning your original set, so that the hens always have somewhere comfortable to lay. Our spare sets can be found here. (www.heritagehenhuts.co.uk)

The Eggtopia Nest Box is designed for easy cleaning. Simply remove the nest pad and bumper bar, and you are able to jet wash or scrub the Eggtopia as you please. Being made of galvanised steel and stainless steel, it will not rust. Soak the nest pads in hot soapy water, and rinse thoroughly before reassembling.

Being made of plastic, the nest pad and bumper bar are very resilient and easy to clean. You might find that a good weekly shake is all that is needed to keep it clean. However, for more stubborn messes, We suggest soaking them in hot soapy water for at least an hour, and then removing and hosing down with clean water to ensure all debris is removed, returning them to the nest box once dry. We would also recommend buying a spare set so that during a deep clean, the spare set can be utilised, and your hens are never left without their comfortable laying area. Spare sets can be found in our shop. (www.heritagehenhuts.co.uk/shop)

Currently we have three nest box sizes - 50cm, 80cm and 140cm wide, however it is possible we could custom make a box to suit if you needed several. Please do contact us (https://www.heritagehenhuts.co.uk/contact)to let us know your size requirements and we shall see what we can do.