broken eggs! need advice

[onlychicks6]

Hello I have been reading a few threads about hens fighting over the same nesting box but np one else has mentioned it being so severe that they have broken eggs. For the last 5 days I have had at least one or two broken eggs a day. I stayed in the coop yesterday and today and watched as 5 of my 6 chickens tried to squeeze in one box. I have 3 boxes in there! They climb on top of each other and push and peck each other. It went on for over an hour. Then one that was hardly in the box layed but instead of it landing in the soft nest box her bottom was sticking out and the egg fell to the ground and broke. That is how I have been finding the broken ones on the ground. I wasn't sure if they were just getting pushed out but now know they are being layed outside the box. They have always used the same box but never have I had this happening so frequently. Does any one have any suggestions?

 

[creaturelife]

put some eggs in the other nest boxes that might help

 

[aart]

I keep a couple golf balls all the time in each of 4 nests for 9 hens. They use all the nests.

 

[onlychicks6]

Thank you so much! Golf balls are in place and my fingers are crossed. I never would have thought it could be such an easy solution

 

[creaturelife]

the golf balls are used for training the hen to use the nest box and i used it one time to get them to lay eggs in different nest boxes might work for you i hope it does it did for me