Eggs all in one basket...

[MiaBellaFarm]

I have 7 hens and 4 nesting boxes and everyone thinks they have to lay their eggs in one box...how do I encourage them to lay in different boxes?
Thanks!
Michelle

 

[gumpsgirl]

I don't know that you can. They seem to pick their favorite box and that's the one they want to use. They are funny like that and I've never been able to change my chickens minds when it comes to nesting boxes.

 

[Gonzo]

I wish I knew too! Mine have 5 nesting boxes in their coop, but they like to all use the old dog house in our garage!

Silly birds!

 

[yellowchickensmomma]

I had the same problem. I put a white golf ball in the boxes noone used and after a little while some of the girls started using the other boxes.

 

[Warthog]

I too have this problem, I have three nesting boxes, but only one gets used. This morning I tried to fool them, I went in their quite early, at that time only one egg in the favourite box. I took it out and put it in the next box. When i went to collect the eggs I had 6 in their favourite box and five in the other. Tomorrow I will try putting one egg in each box and see what happens.

It is very funny though, when next boxes are empty and you see three or four hens trying to get into one box. Or, like the other morning when I went in there was one in the box and 3 standing in line.

I am trying to get this sorted out, because I have 11 laying at the moment, but over the next month/6 weeks I will have another 29 laying, so I will need to put more next boxes in and get them to use them.

Can you imagine 1 hen using the favourite box and 39 others standing in line.

Such silly, funny but nice little girls.

 

[Dixiedoodle]

I have 9 girls and 4 nestboxes. They were all laying in one box so I put a wooden egg in each of them.. They now lay in a few different ones but still love that one box.. Some days, I get 8 eggs and 7 will be in "THE" box... So, I am not sure how to change their choice of nestboxes.

 

[tammyd57]

I've noticed over the years that hens will pick out which nest is the 'best' and all or most will use that one. If eggs get laid in other nests it's because the waiting line was taking too long.
Things they consider 'best' for a nest are: corner, end of a row, darkest, most private, the hardest for you to reach, & the nest that the roo insists they lay in.
Sometimes the head hen picks out her favorite for whatever reason and the others figure she knows something they don't & just follow suit. Chickens are real copy-cats.

 

[b.hromada]

I've always found that they will pick "their" favorite nest box. Sometimes they might all use the same box too.

 

[kittykorat]

we have 5 hens, 2 boxes, I've gone out and found my white rock ON TOP of my Australorpe in the favorite box.

 

[leenie]

We have 5 ee's. I had one nest box and they stood in line . . . so I added another. They all decided they liked the new one better and ignored the first nest. Took the old nest away just to unclutter.
Sometimes 3 are in there at once piled all on top of each other (that was when we hade the two available).