Review the Best Rollaway Chicken Nesting Boxes

Over a decade ago we were the first to introduce Amish made all metal rollaway nesting boxes to the general market. Our initial offerings which are still our most popular were 2, 4, and 8 compartment nest boxes with a rollout egg tray that protects fresh laid eggs from being messed, stepped on or pecked at as some chickens will eat the eggs 

With the cost of feed and overhead losing, just a few eggs a day can really add up.

As we made our Amish product tours a few years later we discovered another Amish company making a slightly different type of rollaway nesting box without dividers. These were being built as open concept community nesting box patterned after commercial operations.

The Community Nesting Boxes as they are called basically have the same design as our divided boxes but use a traditional laying mat which, resembles a section of Astroturf, to allow the eggs to drop and roll forward into a compartment. Instead of the dividers, they use curtains on the front to resemble separate entries into nest boxes. 

The open community concept accommodates more chickens, about twice as many as our divided boxes. So, we added the Community Nesting Boxes and introduced them to the Internet as well.

Since then several other companies have begun selling the Community Nest Boxes on the internet as well.

Sales of both styles have been strong with repeat customers coming back for more of the same models. As people would call and ask which is the best we would say it’s a Ford-Chevy discussion depending on which one you were used to as we have customers on both sides raving about them.  Then we would share the benefits of both and let them make their own decisions.

The one thing that kept sticking in our mind was the need for the laying mat.  Our original nesting boxes use a PVC coated wire mesh that allows the manure to pass through to a slide in drop pan underneath.

A laying mat basically is sharing the same surface with the egg to roll over and to collect the manure.  Extra laying mats are good to have on hand to switch clean out for dirty. Other than that, the Community Nesting Boxes offers a bit larger collection tray that can be switched to either a front or back collection based on your coop size and needs.

The Community Nest Boxes also have a solid back which means they can be set out in the middle of a coop floor up on blocks or screwed to a wall. But, we really like our traditional nest boxes with the open backs because they use wall cleats to hang on a wall so that they can be easily lifted off and taken outside to be power washed and disinfected from front and back.

So, we went back to our original supplier and learned they too have been looking for a way to build a better rollaway nesting box. We believe they have succeeded with the Colony Rollway Nesting Boxes and we are the first again to introduce them to Internet sales.

The Colony Rollaway Nest Boxes are available in the same 2, 4 and 8 compartments outside designs except for no dividers to offer the open community concept and added curtains to mimic the nest box entrances.  They are also now available as a front or rear collection box.

Best of all they don’t require the messy laying mats and still offer the quick removal hanging cleats to quickly take them outside and power wash them.

Even better the price point is lower for even a bit thicker galvanized metal used on the horizontal parts such as the tops and cross members that can easily be damaged by kids stepping up on them.

We believe the Colony Rollaway Nesting Boxes just might the best of the best of all rollaway nesting boxes. Especially, when you have the option to purchase the double layer 48” nesting box for much less than having to buy two of the 48” rollaway nest boxes. 

You can buy one Colony Double Layer and benefit with two 48” nesting boxes stacked together in one that will handle 80 or more hens.

Reversing the Colony Nesting Boxes to the outside of the coop for rear collection takes up zero space inside the coop. Simply cut a hole in the side and hang the Colony Nest Box on the outside.  

All the access to the eggs, manure tray and even reaching through to lift the roost bar to block entry can be accomplished from outside the coop. Manure cleanout is the easiest of all nesting boxes, especially on the outside rear collection.  You can roll a wheelbarrow right up to the box and pull out the manure tray just under the egg collection tray and dump without ever having to reach in or disturb the layers.

At Cottage Craft Works https://www.cottagecraftworks.com We have the largest selection of all metal rollaway nest boxes.

Cottage Craft Works is a unique emporium of old-fashioned made in America products for the farm, home, and garden.

Rollaway, Roller Egg, Roll Out, Nest Box

The Very Best Rollaway, Roller Egg Nest Box allow fresh eggs to roll out into a covered collection box providing peck free, cleaner, less damaged eggs.

Considering all the cost and time to produce fresh eggs finding them broken or half-eaten is very frustrating. These USA made rollaway chicken nest boxes are really worth the upfront investment  and should last a lifetime.

Unlike some other  metal  nest boxes on the market, these nest boxes are built very heavy duty containing no plastic parts to become brittle and break off over time.

With a slightly slanted floor in the bottom of the nesting box, the eggs gently roll out forward, or in one particular model, forward or back into a protective collection tray.

Many have made wooden rollaway nest boxes for years, and there was once a company making these types of nest boxes commercially in the early 1900s.

Old Vintage Rollaway Nest Box  Used To Pattern New Amish Nest Boxes

These are Amish  USA made rollaway nesting boxes totally made out of heavy duty galvanized metal that can be power washed and disinfected should you ever have a poultry disease outbreak. They also require no straw or other nesting materials that may harbor mites and other insects.

When the Amish find a  great product and then it becomes no longer available they will begin to reproduce it for the Amish communities. Today many of the old time products like these nest boxes are still being made and used in the Amish communities. Cottage Craft Works specializes in traveling the back roads discovering these types of  all American made quality  old-fashioned products to bring them to the general marketplace.

These Amish made nesting boxes were first discovered by the folks over at Cottage Craft Works in 2006.  They were the first company to bring them to the general market in their unique back-to-basics general store. They offer different styles and sizes for almost any size of flock for the backyard hobbyist  homestead to the small commercial egg producers.

The original rollaway nest boxes have the green roost with divided boxes. They are available in a two-hole, four hole and an eight hole model.  Each compartment hole will accommodate 5-6 hens.

The eggs drop down onto a wire mesh screen to roll forward.  The mesh is large enough to allow the chicken poop to pass on through to a pullout tray underneath for easy and quick cleaning.

Cottage Craft Works Four Compartment Rollaway Nest Box

Easy Access Egg Collection Tray

Amish Rollaway Nest Box In Use For Over 20 Years

In 2011 the folks at Cottage Craft Works discovered another Amish company making a similar rollaway nest box . They were the first company to bring the Community Rollaway Nest Boxes to the general marketplace.  These nest boxes were rather intriguing  to them because they offered a wide open concept without dividers.  

Community 48" Rollaway Nest Box

The Community Rollaway Nest Box Large Collection Tray

The Amish builder designed these smaller nest boxes from the large commercial open nest boxes where the chicken enters divided curtains to lay their eggs.  What really caught their attention was that the wide open community concept was able to  accommodate  more than double the number of chickens in the same size of the 4 compartment boxes.

The Community style also has a larger egg tray to hold the additional eggs. The community style does use laying mats for the eggs to drop and roll on which will need to be cleaned.  Extra mats are available with the boxes to have them to switch out.

One big advantage of the Community design is that they are reversible. Meaning you have the flexibility to set them up for either a front or rear collection tray. Using the rear collection tray makes them very handy to use in small hard to access chicken coops or when you don’t really want to disturb the chickens during egg collections after dark.

The Community boxes also have solid metal backs so they can be set up in rows in the middle of a coop.

Both styles of nesting boxes have the roost hinged to lift up to access the egg tray but to also block off the entry to the nest boxes when needed.

Both styles of the rollaway nest boxes are available to purchase online at Cottage Craft Works.com and have been one of their best-selling line of products.  People have come back to purchase more of the same style so it becomes a Ford or Chevy discussion when asked which one is the best over the other.

The customer service at Cottage Craft Works is great to discuss the pro and cons of each based on your specific coop setup.

Cottage Craft Works, www.cottagecraftworks.com is a back-to-basics general store providing old-fashioned products of value and functionality for today’s homestead hobby farm.  Many of the products are made for non-electric off-grid homesteading.

Roller Egg | Rollaway Egg | Chicken Nesting Boxes

Increase production, reduce labor, have less damaged eggs and a more sanitary egg collection process.

Rollaway nesting boxes are designed so the eggs roll forward in to and under a protected compartment for latter collection.

These boxes take away the opportunity for the eggs to be stepped on or eaten.

Having the eggs all lined up for collection allows for less labor and search time in reaching into nest boxes.

The eggs also have less chance for the chickens to mess on them making the process more sanitary.

There’s been a couple rollaway nest box designs on the market, but most companies just provide a metal divided nest box without the rollaway feature.

Some on the market use plastic parts that will eventually will become brittle and break.  They also use thinner metals.   Cottage Craft Works .com offers Amish made all metal rollaway nest boxes that use thicker galvanized metals that are more of a commercial grade. You can also find a large selection of poultry house products available at this unique online general store.

When the Amish build things they do so with longevity and functionality in mind.  They use thicker metals no plastic or short lived parts.  They are not as concerned with corporate share holders or planned obsolesces.

The type of quality products made by the Amish compare to the American made products that were made to last in the 50s and 60s before plastic was even an available option.

Cottage Craft Works also offers two different proven styles.  The traditional divided nest box in 2, 4 and 8 compartments as well as an open concept community nest box in 24” and 48” patterned after the community nest used in large commercial egg processing facilities.

It would be impossible to provide enough nesting boxes for large row houses, thus community nesting boxes handle larger flocks.

The smaller commercial producers or even the back yard hobby farmer can still obtain the same concept in a commercial quality nest box sized for smaller flocks from Cottage Craft Works.

The open community boxes can also be purchased as a front collection or rear collection system.

The rear collection system allows the nest box to be mounted on an outside wall of fence for egg collection outside the coop. 

 

Rear collection boxes are perfect for smaller coops and free range chicken tractors where it is difficult on nearly impossible to obtain inside access.

Nesting boxes are shipped flat unassembled for shipping.  They easy assemble using nuts and bolts.  No rivets are required.

Cottage Craft Works .com is a unique back-to-basics general store where the owners have personally traveled the back roads to find the most functional back-to-basic products for the general public.

Now with over 5000 products self sufficient motivated shoppers and search for simple old fashioned products that are still being made and used in the Amish off grid lifestyle.