Do your girls fight over nest boxes?

[new chick 203]

We have a 4 chickens to 2 nest box ratio. One would think that was plenty, right? They all want the one the other is in. They will pace back and forth and fret when it's occupied, sometimes climbing in with the other or ousting the other and today this exchange happened over and over. Every time I looked they switched. The crazy thing it's not always the same box, today the left box was the favored one, but tomorrow it could be the right one.

They crack me up.

 

[gryeyes]

I've seen hens get into the nest box with another to lay an egg when the first is hogging the nest box.... And there's an empty one right next to them.

Almost all the eggs in a particular coop are laid in one nest box, the favored one. And you're right, sometimes the favored nest "moves."

 

[math ace]

Quote:
I had 3 chickens in four boxes today. Two of the three were in the SAME box. Two boxes were EMPTY and the last box had the fourth chicken in it.

They like to lay their eggs where others have laid theirs. I place a golf ball in EACH box. OTherwise, at the end of the day EVERYONE would lay their eggs in the same box . . . Which ever box the first hen choose in the morning.

 

[PepsNick]

We have outdoor nest box access, and the girls like to fly on top of the door to it. Then they get on the coop roof. Geesh.

 

[onthespot]

You should see two bourbon reds fight over a large plastic dog house, (I mean HEAR!) It sounds like someone put sneakers in the dryer, LOL.

 

[Pinky]

One of my red hens will scream when she sees my blue hen in "her" nest. The blue one will do the same if she sees the red one in the nest.

 

[aubreynoramarie]

My girls literally form a line and if the girl in the box is taking too long they whine! HURRY UPPPP!!!!

 

[BarnGoddess01]

I have 8 nest boxes for 12 hens. No one nest box preferred but I have one Red Sex Link hen in particular who acts like a soldier, marching up and down. She apparently considers it her duty to chase the lower hens out of the boxes - just because. And she whines the entire time she's doing it.

 

[kla37]

I have 3 boxes for 8 chickens. One has never been used, one is the favorite, and the third they use only if they can't wait any longer. One chicken, our BO, lays in a corner of the coop.

 

[happyhens44]

Yeah mine line up too. I wonder if laying an egg is like taking a poop? because its kinda like the nesting box is the toliet and everyones lined up to use the bathroom

Then you always have them 2 hens who REALLY have to poo so they will fight over the "toliet.."