Hen laying on top of other hen in coop?

[Soon2BChixMom]

I tuck my chickens in each night by closing the pop door and making sure all 4 are inside and not out in the run.
For the last week, I have found one hen laying on another.
My coop is a prefab. There is plenty of space for the 4 to roost on the bars (even though the bars are not up high). Every evening before locking them into the secure run, I close off two nest boxes. My bigger girl decides to lay in the one nest box not closed off. The one that is open is not one they lay eggs in - I close that one off.
Sometimes I go out and they are all in that corner of the coop. Warm or cold. Sometimes I go out and the one chicken is actually laying on the other. I am not sure if the timing matters, but it could be roost time rumble? Would the one on the bottom suffocate if the other one lays on her too long?

 

[azygous]

Your instinct that this could be "roost time rumble" may be closer to what's going on than you think. In the eleven years of keeping chickens, I've seen this from time to time. It occurs most often in the nest box when one hen is already in it, and another more dominate hen wants the nest.

Once a hen is nesting, she won't give it up unless there's a painful altercation and she's driven out. So what usually happens is the dominate hen plants herself on top of the less dominate hen.

Your two hens are probably in competition for a favorite spot, and neither is willing to give in, so they both occupy that spot, piggyback, with the dominate hen on top.

It's doubtful the lower hen will smother, but I would try to encourage all four to roost. It's healthier for all of them. It gets them out of the poop and it's less likely they'll attract parasites.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

I moved them. They didn’t like it much. Lol.
I am setting them up with new digs this spring! So, hopefully that will alleviate any worries over hoarding a sleeping nest box. I would open the other two, but I like keeping the one that they lay eggs in clean. Maybe I could open the middle one?
I need to figure out which one is on top as the one in the nest box is a Brahma and my other three are Isa Browns. When I see the one on top, I promptly move her before trying to figure out which of the 3 it is. I rarely see altercations when I am out there. But, I am surprised the Brahma puts up with it, I’ve seen her give a good peck when one of the others tried to take something she wanted.
Thanks for the input!

 

[Frazzemrat1]

What's your temps right now? With the wicked cold temps we've had this winter my girls went from everybody roosting up on the bars to about half of them laying in a chicken pile together on the floor. I figure this was for warmth, and once it warms back up again they'll be all up on the roosts.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

What's your temps right now? With the wicked cold temps we've had this winter my girls went from everybody roosting up on the bars to about half of them laying in a chicken pile together on the floor. I figure this was for warmth, and once it warms back up again they'll be all up on the roosts.

It has been much warmer lately. They didn't do this when it was frigid. Silly ladies.