do chickens share nesting boxes?

Sharing a nest is very normal. In fact, if you look it up, it's suggested that you have one nest box per every five hens. We have one extremely popular box that I have to collect eggs from as often as possible. I've had 15 eggs in there, and the clumsy ladies will break other eggs sometimes.
 
Today I found my duck and my chicken in the same nesting box. I set up a nesting box on the ground for my duck and she chooses to jump up (2.5 ft) and lay in the chicken's nesting box. Next time I need to take a photo, it is really funny seeing them on top of each other. Especially when there are empty nesting boxes around them.


oh yeah we definitely need a photo!!!! That's adorable :)
 
I have five birds (3 cornish, 2 EE) and one box. Laying runs anywhere from 530am to 300pm daily. They all have their own schedule but I've seen two birds stuffed in one box at the same time. Most times, if one is on the nest and another is wanting to nest, they will simply wait their turn -or- simply walk on top of the nesting bird and try to punk them out. Sometimes the nesting bird gets punked, leaves the nest, and will protest loudly while standing over the new nester. Kind of amusing to watch... The wind blew the run door shut while I was at work yesterday, locking the girls in free range for most of the day w/ no access to the coop & nest box. When I finally got home and opened the run door, both EEs ran into the coop and nested together. Within 10 minutes, they laid and ran back out into the yard. I suspect the cornish probably laid in the yard while locked out, but it was too cold & windy for me to look to verify. Typical day: Brownie waiting for Stinky to lay Brownie finally gets to nest and tends to the bunch already in there, including the golf ball (Mr. Happy) Everybody laid by 3pm
i love the waiting in line!!! This is hysterical.
 
There had been many squabbles between the 5 girls using the 3 nest boxes. So finally I convinced my husband to build 2 more boxes which he then put under the original 3 boxes.(after these pics were taken) Did it actually help--not really, one or two of the chickens have favorites and WILL NOT lay in any other box. Which means they will squawk and carry on till their favorite box is empty.
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