Eggs on the floor

[feathermania]

They’ve always had no problem sharing before. However I have noticed they are all starting to lay closer to the same time lately and some are staying in the boxes longer...?

I'm wondering the same thing. About 4 of our girls have started laying around the same time too. Although, the odd egg under the roosting bars hasn't been very often so we haven't worried about it too much (about 4 times since the hens were all put in the new coop/run in June 2018).

 

[Peppercorngal]

Sometimes we find an egg sitting under the roosting bars. The nesting boxes are at the other end of the coop. It doesn't happen very often so we think that the favorite nesting box is being used and that hen just can't wait for it to be empty!

I have 29 hens and 18 nest boxes. There are about 3 favorite boxes. Yesterday I had 8 eggs in one box! You can't control these girls! They lay where they lay!

 

[BGcoop]

Yay! All eggs were in the boxes today!

 

[GC-Raptor]

I have seven 6 months old Barred Rocks.
There are 3 nests. Each have a ceramic egg. They do have a favorite where most eggs are laid.
Yesterday around 9 am I went to collect eggs and give them a daily treat of Scratch scattered around the pen.
I collected two eggs from the favorite nest.
After they finished the Scratch, 3 pullets went into coop to lay. Of course they all want the favorite nest.
One went into nest and another went in and pushed the other out. This went back and forth, pushing and shoving, going into another nest squawking, coming out and squawking at the pullet in the favorite box.
I watched them for 15/20 minutes and they continued squawking. I left them to figure it out and cook up some eggs for breakfast.
Later in the day I went to the coop and the favorite nest had 2 eggs and another nest had 1.
I may never figure out what makes one nest box so desirable. But that's what makes chickens so addicting. Trying to figure them out. What is that chicken thinking? GC