fighting over the penthouse !!!!

[Elly]

I have five laying boxes built in a "A" shape or pirimid type style, top one being about 4 feet off the ground the other 4 just below it about 3 feet off the ground. There is a railing running along the front to assist getting in and out. I have five hens, one that has started laying about a month ago, and she has always used the top box. Now in the past four days I have had three other hens starting to lay and they all want to use that top box !!!

.The boxes are all the same size, have the same bedding in it, only difference is the other four are lower to the ground by a foot. With so many wanting to use the same box I'm scared of broken eggs. Is there a way that I can convince the girls that the other boxes are Ok to use too !!!

Should I maybe block off the top box to get the gals to use the other ones? Any help would be great.

 

[DDRanch]

Sounds like you have a very nice set up. I have noticed that for all the 6 beautiful, roomy, straw and pine filled, soft nesting boxes I provide to my 11 hens, they only use a couple. Sometimes they all use the same one. Often they switch around. Sometimes two of them will lay together. Who can figure it out.

My opinion is that you don't need to do anything different. If they can reach the top box, they can access the others. Be sure to collect the eggs regularily so they don't get accidentally broken if everyone lays in the same box. Not to worry.

 

[Pumpkinpup]

Most of my hens insist on laying in the same nest no matter that there are 8 boxes. I think it's just the way they are so I would not worry. Just gather the eggs several times a day and you should be fin

 

[Adri]

We built 12 nesting boxes for our coop (4 boxes across, 3 down, all the same size and same nesting material). At first there were 5 buff catalanas laying, and they ALL lay in the top left box. They used to line up to use it and I would often find 2 hens in the box laying at the same time.

At one point one of my hens went broody in that favourite box and perhaps that was when the other hens started to experiment with other boxes. For my hens at least, the novelty eventually wore off and now we find eggs in other boxes. Maybe if you do block it off they will lay in other boxes. Good luck.

 

[rowangarthgrl]

I was just going to post with the same "problem"! We have a nesting box with four cubbies and our girls almost always use the same box! Yesterday I found four eggs in that one box and today, they were lining up for it!

Glad to hear I'm not the only one with territorial hens