Why purchase new and expensive nesting beds for chickens when they really want to be in a cat litter box? Check out this hack on how to find and use cheap, secondhand items for coop nesting boxes.
Eden Acres Homestead (@edenacreshomestead) showed us their hack on TikTok that ensures happy chickens and a happy wallet.
@edenacreshomestead Chickens do not care about things being fancy 😄 #edenacres #chickencaretips #upcycle #repurpose #chickentok ♬ Quirky - Oleg Kirilkov
The Scoop
Chickens need places to rest and nest in their coops. Traditionally, you can purchase chicken nesting boxes from around $50 to $300. Yet, as pointed out by Eden Acres, chickens aren't too picky and will sleep anywhere that feels safe and enclosed.
Eden Acres purchases secondhand file cabinets, enclosed cat litter boxes, side tables, and more from places like Goodwill.
The best part? "Chickens do not care about things being fancy," Eden Acres jokes in the caption. In fact, the TikTok shows some of the actual chicken nesting boxes they had purchased being completely ignored in favor of litter boxes by the chickens.
How it's helping
Economically, a few $5 secondhand items are much more cost-effective than purchasing brand-new chicken nests. This rings true for purchasing anything secondhand. In fact, people who shop secondhand can save over $1,700 per year.
Environmentally, purchasing secondhand items will always be a more sustainable option than buying new products. You are reducing waste from packaging and shipping, while also giving life to items that might have otherwise been thrown away.
Want to do even more good for the environment and save a bit more money? Upcycle items that you already own!
It is estimated that over 19 billion pounds of old furniture gets thrown out every year. By upcycling, you can reduce your waste by putting old furniture items to new use, just like people are using old drawers and litter boxes for their chickens.
What everyone's saying:
The Eden Acres hack received lots of laughs as well as other ideas for secondhand items on a farm.
"U have happy ladies for sure! And the recycling is AWESOME!" praised one user.
Someone else added: "This is genius. I was using pet carriers and crates. But the side table and file cabinets FREAKING GENIUS."
"I used drawers from a dresser that was falling apart," added another user.
"I feel like chickens are secretly cats," joked another user.
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