Page title: FAQ

You have two options: You can save and store videos under 1GB for free for seven days on the VicoHome app. This can be extended to 60 days with a cloud service subscription. 

Alternatively, you can use a Micro SD Card (up to 128GB) in the camera. Videos saved to your Micro SD Card cannot be shared, downloaded or deleted directly from the VicoHome app – you will need to do this by inserting the Micro SD Card into an external reader. 

You can add as many cameras as you like to your VicoHome app account. The more the merrier!

When set to ‘Auto’, the camera will record for up to three minutes as soon as motion is detected.

This WiFi Camera works on a 2.4GHz wireless network. The device does not yet support the 5GHz wireless network. Please ensure the WiFi authentication method to WPA2-PSK or any other lower level of security. A password is required for additional security.

Sure! Once the camera is set up, if a Micro SD Card is inserted, it can record videos even without an internet connection. An internet connection is only required if the footage needs to be accessed remotely (e.g., via the app).

A physical copy of the User Guide is included with the camera in the packaging, but you can also download it from our User Guides page.

If you are using the VicoHome app on an Apple device running iOS 13 or above, you need to go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services, find the VicoHome app on the list and select ‘While Using the App’.

The camera’s built-in infrared light displays a dim red light when night vision is activated. This doesn’t disturb or affect the birds in any way. The image quality is still clear in low light or in total darkness.

During testing, the WiFi connection distance has reached up to 160 yards over open ground. However, the actual distance can vary depending on various factors, such as your WiFi strength and the surrounding environment.

Things like thick walls, large metal objects nearby and electromagnetic devices can all interfere with a WiFi signal. If you find your connection to be weak, place the camera as close to your router as possible.

9 times out of 10, simply restarting the device will fix most issues. Turn the camera off by holding down the power button under the camera for 5 seconds. If required, insert a pin into the reboot hole to restart the camera.  

If you’re still having an issue with your WiFi camera, drop us a line at support@nestera.eco and we’ll have you up and running in no time.   

As long as you have a backyard or outdoor space, you can keep chickens and enjoy freshly laid eggs every morning.

Whether you live in the city or countryside, an increasing number of people are now keeping chickens, mainly due to how easy it is.

However, we recommend checking with your local authority first, as a small number don’t allow chickens to be kept in backyards. If you rent your property, we advise you to check with your landlord about keeping animals.

Luckily, chickens don't require a lot of space. The absolute minimum area for a run is 1 square meter per bird but the more space you can provide for your birds, the better; so we recommend at least 2 square meters per bird. Many people grant their chickens free rein of their entire yard, but it's worth remembering some chickens enjoy making a mess, so a run may be preferable.

Generally, no. Hens do make a range of noises, but these are mostly gentle and quiet... until they've laid an egg, when they like to have a quick shout about their achievement - and who can blame them? The noisy ones are the males, known as roosters or cockerels. They are territorial birds and love nothing better than regularly telling everyone that the hens are his!

Cockerels traditionally also crow loudly at sunrise. Because chickens are early risers, when the sun comes up every morning, he will proudly announce his presence to the world. However, not everyone appreciates this early morning wake-up call, so this is something to consider if you have neighbors living nearby.

If handled from young, chickens will become very tame and make fantastic family pets. Keeping chickens in your yard is great fun for children of all ages and provides hours of entertainment, as well as the opportunity to learn about sustainability, caring for animals and where eggs comes from.

Keeping chickens is really easy and doesn't require a of your time. Chickens are quite happy occupying themselves by exploring your yard or their run. The only things chickens require of you is to let them out of their coop in the morning (although this can be done with our Automatic Door Opener), sufficient food and water, their eggs removed daily and put the chickens back into their coop at night. Their coop will need cleaning out once a week - but our cleverly designed Nestera coops ensure this is always a very quick and easy job!

Most novice chicken keepers usually start with a small, manageable number of hens, and when we’re asked what is the best chicken coop for beginners, we always recommend the Nestera Ground Coop. It’s the perfect entry-level chicken coop - not only does its clever design prevent red mite infestations but it sits low to the ground, providing easy access for broody hens and young chicks.

The Nestera Ground Coop is available in three sizes to comfortably house up to eight large hens.

Unlike traditional wooden coops, the smooth interior surfaces of Nestera plastic chicken coops leave nowhere for red mites to hide, meaning your hens won’t be subjected to painful (and sometimes deadly) red mite infestations.

Not only that, but the 100% recycled plastic we use makes the coop cleaning process a piece of cake - a quick hose-down is all it takes, and the plastic dries in moments! Plus, every Nestera chicken coop comes with at least two fully-adjustable vents to keep your flock at the ideal temperature all year round.

A Nestera coop means happier, healthier hens!

As experienced chicken keepers, we know that owning chickens is very fun and extremely rewarding. But with fun comes responsibility, which is why we’ve created our coops to minimize the downsides of chicken keeping. 

Traditionally, chicken coops have been made of wood which are difficult to clean, take hours to dry, and easily harbour red mite. Nestera coops are made from 100% recycled plastic and intelligently designed to make chicken keeping a doddle!

Nestera chicken coops prevent red mite, make the cleaning process a walk in the park, and include fully-adjustable air vents to provide the perfect amount of airflow whatever the weather.

Traditional wooden chicken coops come with a huge number of disadvantages: they are a pain to keep clean, take ages to dry and are an easy target for red mite infestations.

When designing our chicken coops, we took all these pain points into consideration and discovered plastic is a far better option - and not just any plastic, but 100% recycled (and recyclable) plastic.

Nestera’s smooth interiors not only leave nowhere for swarms of red mites to hide and harm your hens, but make the coop cleaning process far quicker and easier than with a wooden coop - just hose it down and it’ll dry in moments!

For up to 6-8 chickens, we recommend at least two nesting boxes. Each of our Medium and Large coops from the Ground, Lodge and Raised ranges (plus the Wagon) all offer two secure nesting boxes for your hens to lay their eggs in comfort. The Small Ground, Lodge and Raised Coops feature a single nesting box, which is suitable for 3-5 hens.

We are often asked how many chickens you should have in one coop, and this depends on several factors, including the breed of chicken, and their size.

It’s important to remember that chickens need plenty of space to move around, roost and lay eggs. Overcrowding a coop can lead to health issues, stress and aggressive behaviour, so we always recommend to err on the side of caution and provide your chickens with a little more space than they strictly need. 

Every Nestera coop is available in three sizes: Small, Medium and Large. The Small can house up to 3 large hens; the Medium up to 5 large hens; and the Large (and the Wagon) up to 8 large hens.

• What is the best bedding for a chicken coop?

Two of the most commonly used materials for coop bedding are wood shavings and sand. Aesthetically, sand looks cleaner and has been proven by Auburn University researchers to lower coliform counts, including E.coli, compared to wood shavings.

You can even sprinkle fresh nest herbs onto your coop bedding. The natural oils in the herbs and flowers help relax and calm your hens. They also smell great and discourage pests.

Some people recommend straw as an appropriate bedding material; however, it’s worth noting that the hollow straw fibres provide an ideal place for red mites to hide. 

We offer removable droppings trays for all our coops, which makes the cleaning process quick and easy, and ensures a far more hygienic coop for both you and your flock.

Chickens are highly flock-oriented, so for a starter flock size we recommend no fewer than three chickens. You can expect around 12 eggs per collection (every couple of days) from three laying hens. If you have no previous experience looking after chickens, it’s best to start with a smaller flock, as you can always grow it once you’ve established a routine. 

For a slightly larger family with a higher egg consumption, a flock of five or six hens is a good choice. 

Nestera chicken coops can comfortably house between 3-8 large hens.

Luckily, the 100% recycled plastic we use for our chicken coops is an excellent thermal insulator, and when combined with the fully-adjustable ventilation featured on every Nestera coop, it provides ideal temperatures for your hens all year round. However, if required in the depths of winter, you can cover your coop with a blanket to help it retain heat - just make sure the adjustable vents are uncovered to provide adequate airflow. 

We always recommend providing a warm, dry coop floor with biodegradable bedding for your hens. Our removable droppings trays are perfect for this!

Most chicken breeds are hardy enough to handle the cold weather. There is no official yardstick of what temperature is too cold for chickens (in Canada, chickens are often kept successfully at -4°F!) - and in fact, it’s heat that causes chickens more problems.

To ensure chickens can cope well with cold weather, it’s important to establish a routine that keeps them fit and healthy throughout the year. Chickens need feathers to keep themselves warm and ensuring your flock is healthy means they will have sufficient plumage to preserve their body heat when it’s cold.

A chicken’s average body temperature is around 106°F, but this body temperature lowers when it loses more heat than it can produce. Chickens often huddle together at night time on their perch; they may hold a foot up to their breast; or they’ll puff their feathers out to stay warm in their coop.

Whether you keep chickens recreationally or commercially, if you live in a cold climate you’ll know not all chickens can cope with the coldest winter conditions.

Five of the hardiest breeds for cold weather are Sussex, Silkie, Rhode Island Reds, Plymouth Rocks, and Welsummer.

One of the main reasons for a chicken coop is to offer your flock protection from the weather and predators. Providing your hens a chicken coop with four walls and a roof will keep them safe and healthy. Other basic elements every coop should have include proper ventilation, nesting boxes and secure perches. 

Every Nestera chicken coop offers all these features as standard, and each has been intelligently designed to offer not just safety for your flock, but luxury too!

The range is approximately 15-20 yards, depending on the environment and the range of your router. Take your phone to where you want to install your bird house; if it receives at least two ‘bars’ of WiFi from your router, then this should be enough signal for the WiFi camera.

Do some quick checks:

Have you left the lens cap or protective lens sticker on on the camera? (We've all done it!)

Are all the cable connections firmly plugged in?

If these don't resolve the issue, get in touch with support@nestera.eco and we'll have you up and running in no time.

Just follow the simple step-by-step instructions on our Nestera Bird Cam app for iOS and Android smart devices.

All our bird house cameras include a set of printed instructions, too - which can also be downloaded from the product page. 

Download our free Nestera Bird Cam app:

iOS users please click here

Android users please click here

Simply tap ‘Share Device’ in the Nestera Bird Cam app settings and select any contact on your phone to send them an invitation.

Once they’ve downloaded the Nestera Bird Cam app and created an account, you can then grant them access to your camera.

The high-performance solar panel has its own integrated 15600mA lithium-ion battery pack which is recharged by the sun and keeps the battery camera charged up.

If you notice the power on the battery camera is running low, you can simply take the solar panel inside to recharge its battery pack with its Micro USB cable - all without disturbing the birds.

The solar panel’s battery may have simply run down. Unplug and remove the solar panel from where it is installed and take the solar panel indoors to charge it with its Micro USB cable.

This probably means not enough natural light is getting into the bird house.

When positioning your bird house, try to keep the translucent windows on each side reasonably clear of foliage or other obstructions to ensure enough natural light can enter the nesting chamber.

To maximize the chances of birds nesting, we only use natural daylight to illuminate the inside of our bird houses. A drop in light will trigger the LUX sensor and activate the infrared LEDs which are designed to provide black and white images when it’s dark.

Yes they are. No technical knowledge is required, and to make things as easy as possible, we included clear, easy-to-follow instructions with each order.

Plus, we’re always on hand should you need any help, support or advice. Get in touch with support@nestera.eco.

Simply use boiling water to clean out your bird house. We recommend old nests be removed from August onwards (or once you are certain the birds have stopped using the nest box).

Most birds' nests harbour fleas and other parasites which can remain in situ to infest young birds that hatch the following year. Boiling water kills any remaining parasites. Always let the bird house dry out thoroughly before replacing the front or top panels.

It's important to never use insecticides or flea powders in your bird house.

Sadly, yes. It's quite normal for a few eggs to fail to hatch, or for some young to die. Some birds lay up to 14 eggs to allow for such losses.

Cold weather and/or food shortages may lead to nest desertion, or for only the strongest of the chicks to survive. The death of one parent or interference from animals or humans may also cause nest desertion.

Please remember, if there are unhatched eggs in a bird house, these can only legally be removed between August and January.

This depends on a range of factors, such as internal nest box size, entrance hole size, how high off the ground the nest box is situated, etc. Our nest boxes are fitted with a 32mm entrance hole as standard, which will attract the widest range of garden birds.

There are a number of things to consider when mounting a bird house to maximize your chances of birds nesting in it. A more detailed checklist can be found here, but some of the key things to consider are:

Direction – face your nest box between North and East

Shelter – avoid prolonged exposure to direct sunlight

Access – ensure the birds have a clear flight path to the nest box

Height – different species prefer different distances from the ground

Fixing – tilt your nest box forward slightly so driving rain can’t penetrate the nest box.

You should aim to have your bird house in place by the end of February or the beginning of March. Garden birds start breeding around mid-February. However, we have known bird houses put up as late as April to have success.

All our bird houses are designed following RSPB and BTO recommendations and constructed from thick, durable, responsibly-sourced Western Red Cedar which proves to be extremely hardy against all weather conditions.

Nestera was established by father and son duo, Joe and Richard Freedman, who brought together the leading sustainable chicken coop company, Green Frog Designs, with Gardenature, the UK's best-trusted bird box and wildlife habitat camera company.
Nestera is focused solely on the ethos of sustainability, animal wellbeing and bringing nature closer to families.

All our products are designed, manufactured and shipped from our UK workshop in sunny Clacton-on-Sea, in the UK.

Nestera plastic chicken coops are built to last! They are solidly constructed from 100% recycled plastic and genuinely come with an unbelievable 25-year warranty!

This means we will replace any parts of your coop for up to 25 years. However, we're so confident of their quality, we doubt you'll ever need to replace a part. 

Other plastic chicken coop companies only offer a disappointing two-year warranty... 

Yes, you heard right! Nestera chicken coops are made from 100% recycled (and recyclable) plastic, which itself is made at the world's largest energy-from-waste plant, with green biogas a by-product of the process. 

Did you know... our Large chicken coop is made from the equivalent of 2,000 recycled plastic shampoo bottles? That's a lot of plastic we're taking out of circulation!

We sure are. Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram - we'd love to hear from you! 

Use #nestera to show us your Nestera chicken coops and bird boxes. 

We do! We currently work with several influencers and respected industry professionals and are always happy to discuss new partnerships. Let's chat! Drop us a line at ned@nestera.eco

Fantastic news! Contact us at hello@nestera.eco if you need any hi-res images, logos or would like to discuss Nestera or any of our products.

Yes, we offer an Affiliate scheme for anyone who would like to promote Nestera products. You'll receive a generous commission every time we make a sale via your unique affiliate link on your website, blog, newsletter or social channels. It's a win/win
Click here to sign up.

We'd love you to! If you already have a Nestera product and agree to promote it to future customers, you'll receive a generous commission on every sale generated through your unique Nestera Ambassador code.

We have a pool of Nestera Ambassadors using our products right across the country, so there's likely to be one near you!

Let us know where you're located and we'll put you in touch with your nearest one. You can ask them for their honest opinions via email or phone, or go to visit them to see the Nestera products in person.

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Shipping for all Nestera products over $99 is completely free*... nada... zilch... zip... zero... nothing... no money... Pretty great, right?

* Hawaii and Alaska excluded

Our amazing team aim to get your order shipped to you within 2-4 days of your order confirmation.

Yes, we'll keep you updated with every step of your coop's journey. When your order is ready to ship, you'll receive an email with the tracking number to let you know it's on its way.

IMPORTANT: If you ordered a chicken coop and accessories, the shipment will be composed of several boxes with individual tracking numbers nested under the master tracking number of your order.

If you're ordering from Hawaii or Alaska, drop us a line at hello@nestera.eco before placing your order.

We offer a huge range of payment methods: Credit or Debit Card (Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, American Express), Paypal, Google Pay, Apple Pay and ShopPay.

You can complete your order using our secure online Checkout, or email us at hello@nestera.eco.

Our website has been designed and built using the highest security measures. Our online Checkout is powered by Shopify, which is certified Level 1 PCI DSS compliant. We do not store any card details on our servers and always ensure our website is kept updated.

To apply a discount code, simply enter it in the relevant field at the payment stage of our secure Checkout and click 'Apply'.

We regularly offer exclusive discounts in our newsletter, which you can subscribe to below.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up-to-date with our latest offers, discounts and news.

We want you to be 100% happy with your Nestera products.

If you are not completely satisfied with your order, we offer a no-questions-asked 30-day returns policy.

Just like shipping, Nestera returns are also free.

Simply email us at support@nestera.eco to arrange your return.

Your refund or replacement will be issued as soon as we receive your item/s. Refunds will be made within 48 hours of receipt of the item/s back to your original payment method. Please allow up to 3 working days for the refund to appear on your bank statement.

You certainly can! You'll receive up-to-date tracking information in an email the moment it's passed to our courier. You can also log into your Nestera account at any time to check your order and/or delivery status.

IMPORTANT: If you ordered a chicken coop and accessories, the shipment will be composed of several boxes with individual tracking numbers nested under the master tracking number of your order.

To change or cancel an order, contact us by email support@nestera.eco as soon as possible after ordering. You can also log into your account to check the the delivery status of your order.

First, check the couriers's tracking information to find out what items were delivered. If any items still appear to be out for delivery, please contact the courier. Otherwise, contact us for further assistance and we'll be happy to help.

Our products are all shipped flat-packed for self-assembly in fully recyclable packaging. Easy-to-follow user guides are always included and can also be downloaded here.

Let us know which parts are missing or damaged and we'll send replacements out to you ASAP. Please use the part descriptions in the User Guide, so we can accurately identify each part required.

Of course! We pride ourselves on our green credentials. Not only are Nestera chicken coops made from 100% recycled plastic, but every last bit of the packaging it's delivered in is recyclable.