All the eggs are in one basket, I mean nest!😄 is this normal?

[aart]

For laying hens, I agree!

(Exception: if you are letting broody hens set on eggs, you should plan to have one nest for each broody, with one or two others for the layers to share.)

I have a separate floor nest, that's set up in a separate section of the coop for a broody.

 

[MeeMawsChicks]

They will most often lay where there is another egg(s).
Put one or two fake egg(s) in each nest to help 'spread the love'.
That doesn't mean there won't still be a favorite nest.
Oh, and you don't need 1 nest for each bird, 1 nest for each 3-5 birds is plenty.

I had put a fake egg in another nest next to the one they use but one day I found that it had been moved over into the nest that they lay their eggs in!!! Apparently they felt that it looked out of place!
Since they don’t use all of the other nest boxes, it has given them more room to run around in the coop Ha!Ha!

 

[aart]

but one day I found that it had been moved over into the nest that they lay their eggs in

Would be hard to do here with enclosed nests.

 

[SeaAngler]

They all like to use their favorite nesting box usually it's three nesting boxes per 10 chickens

 

[JubileeFarmer]

When I designed my coop, before I got chickens, I overestimated how many nest boxes I would need. I recently repurposed one box as a feeder which opens up floor space in the rest of the coop as I no longer have a hanging feeder. I propped up the back of the kitty litter bin so that the food stays at the front of the box and nobody tries to nest in it.

 

[SnootyHen]

I have a separate floor nest, that's set up in a separate section of the coop for a broody.

Can I see it? I am letting one sit on fake eggs right now and planning to move her to somewhere more suited for chicks before I slip in the chicks. I'd like to keep them in the coop because it's safer than the run but they need to be able to get out and get to the food and water in the run. Trying to figure out a good temporary in-coop nest for mom and about 3 chicks until the babies are ready to roost.

 

[MeeMawsChicks]

When I designed my coop, before I got chickens, I overestimated how many nest boxes I would need. I recently repurposed one box as a feeder which opens up floor space in the rest of the coop as I no longer have a hanging feeder. I propped up the back of the kitty litter bin so that the food stays at the front of the box and nobody tries to nest in it.View attachment 3062665

That’s a great idea

 

[NatJ]

I am letting one sit on fake eggs right now and planning to move her to somewhere more suited for chicks before I slip in the chicks.

Some hens can be moved while broody, but some cannot. Some of them insist on sitting only where they chose to sit, and will pace back & forth and quit being broody if moved.

With the ones I have had, they could all be moved once they had chicks. Peeping chicks must be more important than eggs that just sit there, so the hen stays with the chicks instead of trying hard to go back to the old nest.

I have sometimes let a hen sit in the main nest, then put chicks under her after dark, then moved her and the chicks early the next morning. Each time I have tried this, the hen accepted both the chicks and the move. (I've done it with several different hens, but the total number is still small, so I cannot be sure it would work with every hen.)

 

[SnootyHen]

Some hens can be moved while broody, but some cannot. Some of them insist on sitting only where they chose to sit, and will pace back & forth and quit being broody if moved.

With the ones I have had, they could all be moved once they had chicks. Peeping chicks must be more important than eggs that just sit there, so the hen stays with the chicks instead of trying hard to go back to the old nest.

I have sometimes let a hen sit in the main nest, then put chicks under her after dark, then moved her and the chicks early the next morning. Each time I have tried this, the hen accepted both the chicks and the move. (I've done it with several different hens, but the total number is still small, so I cannot be sure it would work with every hen.)

Thanks! That's a great idea!

 

[MeeMawsChicks]

Would be hard to do here with enclosed nests.

My husband had built little dividers separating the nests. The chickens were able to roll the egg over the top of the short divider.
This is from when he was building the coop.