The suggestions for better designs also vary. The large variety of suggestions speaks so much about personal experiences and thereby the preference. In building chicken nest boxes, there are designs that stand out in view of practicality and function. First though, a good chicken nest box must be planned to get the chicken lay eggs in manners that are most productive. The symptoms An abscess forms in the sole of the feet of the chicken and often these are overlooked as bumble foot in chicken looks very much like calluses. The foot of the chicken is swollen and often hard tissues build up. Then the chicken starts to limp, where in more serious cases there is blood in the footprints. If you want that prevented, you could purchase that at farm supplier but you could very well make grit yourself. To do that, roast eggshells in your oven until they are brown, pound it (not too powdery), and mix it with their meal. One of the few things that you do not have to feed chickens is preparing grit from oyster shells. One effective way at preventing this from happening is insuring that the feeds used are free from pathogens. Regular vaccinations are conducted to assure that the flocks are healthy and the observance of proper sanitation, eggs washing and refrigeration is observed from the farm to the market. Producing high quality chicken eggs is straightforward. If that is not possible in some areas along the perimeter, sink 8" planks to prevent predators from scraping underneath. If foxes roam the area get the thickest chicken wire possible. Foxes have teeth that are as sharp as wire cutters that could easily cut through thin chicken wires. Normally animals could jump as high as their heads when standing on hind legs. That's why a coop or a hen house should be set up, while making sure that it's well ventilated and free from draft. Make sure that the perches are not too high to prevent any foot injuries. Keeping the chicken house devoid of moisture also helps prevent diseases that result from ammonia and other toxic gases.