All eggs in one box

[NZdani]

Hello-

I am very new to chickens, we got 5 hens and 1 rooster when we moved into our new rental. We are slowly figuring this all out. I get 3-6 eggs a day, usually 3 and they are always in the same nest box. They have 3 nest boxes side by side filled with pine shavings. I always find the eggs in the left most box, the middle box is filled with poop and the right one has a little poop. Whats going on? Also should I be worried when I only get 3 eggs?

Thanks

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Not all chickens lay every day, so your egg production sounds fine to me, Chickens like to lay in a safe spot, so if there are eggs in a nest it must be safe, and they will usually like to use the same box everyday, you could add fake eggs or golf balls to encourage laying in the other boxes, but it sounds like someone is sleeping and pooping in them, so I would first block them off to discourage that.

 

[NZdani]

Like not allow access to the boxes at night?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

At night if you can, mostly I will block them totally for a few days, leaving the laying box open, I would go out if you can at sundown and remove anyone in the boxes and putting them on the roosts, it's possible you don't have enough good roost options so all your birds can get away from each other at night if they want to. Not every one wants to sleep next to each other.

 

[Teila]

Howdy NZdani and Welcome to BYC

I agree with oldhenlikesdogs that it is a good idea to discourage nest box sleeping.

Besides all the health, clean nest boxes, poop free egg reasons etc, my silly bantams go broody at just the sight of a nest box, even if it is empty; if they spend 10 mins longer than they need to in one .. broody!!

Anyways, my gals all roost at night but on the odd occasion, I will have one semi-broody who thinks the nest box looks comfy. For this reason, I close off the nest boxes every night, regardless; just something I do now by routine. Granted, it means I have to get up early to open them up again every morning but I am an early riser anyway.

I simply place a board I fashioned to suit the coop up against the nest boxes to block entry.

I have 6 bantams and 3 large nest boxes, all identical, with room for two in each and they still bicker constantly over the favourite and will wait to use it rather than one of the one’s that is free

 

[NZdani]

Ok I will give that a try. I will also check out their roosting options, would it be weird to look in there tonight after dark and see whats going on? I mean will it disturb them?

 

[aart]

Ok I will give that a try. I will also check out their roosting options, would it be weird to look in there tonight after dark and see whats going on? I mean will it disturb them?

No, they might be alarmed, but are pretty catatonic after it's good and dark out, just talk softly to them.
Hopefully they already know your soft voice and this will calm them.

Night time is often the easiest time to handle them for inspection or treatment.
I wear a headlight so my hands are free and keep it kind of pointing up most the time,
allowing just enough light for me to see but not enough for them to see a place to move to.

After you make sure you have enough roosting space (about 1 foot per bird) you can begin to make sure they are sleeping on roosts instead of in the nests.
I like to block the nests just before dusk, then go back out well after dark and remove the block so I don't have to so it at the crack of dawn.