Gift AlmanacA directory of good gifts

Coops & nesting boxes

Chook houses and roll-away nest boxes that keep eggs clean and unbroken.

2 gift ideas here, each with a real shop for your country where we've found one.

A roll-away nesting box

The floor slopes, so the egg rolls into a covered tray as soon as it's laid. That means clean eggs, fewer broken ones, and hens that can't get into the egg-eating habit. Plastic and galvanised steel also don't harbour mites the way timber can.

A chicken coop

The big one, best shared between family. The Australian Bainbridge house is recycled plastic that won't rot and hoses clean, with nowhere for mites to hide. The UK Dorset Stroller is a movable coop for six to eight hens. The US Leghorn Cottage is a starter coop with a run for three or four.