Plastic Milk Crates as nest boxes?

[Mader631]

Anyone out there ever use plastic Milk Crates as nest Boxes? I have a bunch that I'm thinking about using. nail the botton of the crate to the Loft wall & make a pull out cleaning botton in the crate? Looking for Ideas.........

[spirit wings]

sounds ok, but may not be enough room for two growing sqaubs and the two parent birds. oh and a nest bowl.

[NitaS]

I use the milk crates in my loft, but you have to put something over the top, otherwise they get pooped on! THey're about the same size of my built-in nest boxes.

[Jay3]

What are the measurements?

[g0ldenb0y55]

I tried using milk crates but they were too small to fit 2 nest bowls in them. I like to have enough room to do that with my nest boxes.

[Homer87]

That is what I use for my breeders loft. Works great for me.. Don't have time building nest boxes, so milk crates it is - fits perfectly for any kind of nest bowls (I use clay nest bowls) and fits a pair with their squabs..

[Mader631]

Sounds like plastic Milk crates is what I'm going to use then, + they clean up easy!

[Mindy]

I actually use the milk crates for my laying chicken hens. It works great for them so I don't see why not for pigeons. I have used them for years. mindy

[Telessa]

I am very new to this myself so don't have the beat all advice, but my first pair sort of shocked me by continually having two sets going at once (one set of 2-4 week olds then another set of eggs they were laying) I found that a milk crate wasn't big enough for two nesting boxes. But my second pair, they only stick to one set at a time, so that size crate would have done fine for them.

Mindy, I also use the milk crates for my laying chickens, it does work for them very well. Easy to attach to the barn wall.

[Jay3]

Originally Posted by Telessa

I am very new to this myself so don't have the beat all advice, but my first pair sort of shocked me by continually having two sets going at once (one set of 2-4 week olds then another set of eggs they were laying) I found that a milk crate wasn't big enough for two nesting boxes. But my second pair, they only stick to one set at a time, so that size crate would have done fine for them.

Mindy, I also use the milk crates for my laying chickens, it does work for them very well. Easy to attach to the barn wall.

Most pigeons do that. When the babies are like 10 days to 2 weeks old, they start another nest. So they either need a box big enough for them, the babies, and another nest bowl, or they need another box. I would rather have a box large enough so that they don't leave and go to another box, as this then leaves the first babies alone and unprotected in thier box. The cock still feeds them, but they are left alone a lot. If you have a problem with mean cocks, they could be injured by them. Also, you need more boxes if you do it this way, so how much are you really saving? If you aren't going to breed them, then this is a mute point, but if you are, then the larger box is better. It is easy to make a simple plain nest box, and doesn't cost much. You can then make them to any size that you want. As long as you have the room in your loft, that is.

[czarkos]

i use plastic milk crates in my coop, i put in a shoe box in them with shredded news paper in the bottom for nests

[MaryOfExeter]

Yep, you wouldn't be the first to do that. A lot of people around here have used those, as well as other random things. Gallon milk jugs for doves, buckets, TV and other machine parts (that would be my dad, LOL)...anything that's big enough will work

[LokotaLoft]

I myself would use a board to cover the whole bottom as so nothing falls thru it into the next next box including poop and little squabbies

[g0ldenb0y55]

Ahh...the milk crate thread...brings back old memories. I went around town looking for some and when I finally got a few the were to small for my likings....good times!

[windmill Ranch]

I stack the milk crates on top of each other with 1/2 of the front cut out. they work great.