Are nesting boxes really necessary?

[jtango]

My husband built me a lovely chicken tractor with waaaay too many nesting boxes...6 for three hens! LOL! Did I mention that we're newbies at this?

I have a large box, about 5" deep, on the floor of the coop and it's filled with pine shavings and DE..doing the deep litter thing. One of my hens just started laying four days ago and has laid two more since, but she isn't using the nesting box(s) but rather, the 4'x4' deep litter box. So, my question is, if one wants to do the deep litter thing, why is a nesting box necessary?

 

[brahmabreeder]

Nesting boxes help keep the eggs cleaner. They also make it easier to find eggs. Sometimes when I clean
out my coop I find random eggs buried in the litter. That is because a hen will lay on the ground and others will cover it in shavings.