Hens fighting over the nest???

[barbara4rb]

Hi,
My free-range birds have adopted a rose bush hedge as a place to lay eggs and hatch out chicks. (You can meet Rosie and her kids in the Raising Chicks forum.) It's a huge hedge and all the birds like to be inside it.

Yesterday I heard low moaning coming from within the hedge and peeking through the branches I saw my white hen and a black hen close together. Turns out the white hen was sitting on eggs, and the black hen was pushing her and trying to get on top???? The white hen was pecking the black hen. OH NO!!! Of course, they're 6' in the bushes, so I can't do anything. Finally the black hen moved off and the white hen settled down on the eggs.

Is this normal behavior? Do you think they both laid eggs in the nest and now both want to sit on it???

Any insight is appreciated.

 

[prariechiken]

Normal behavior. They probably have both chose this as a good location to lay eggs, and while one has went broody, the other hasn't, and still desires to lay there. That is how hens can ruin anothers hatch is by moving them off for themselves to lay, or breaking eggs while trying to lay in the same spot.

 

[Reece Farms]

Our white legs. fight over the nest just about every morning.

 

[Dodgegal79]

LOL, mine don't fight, they share. I was once checking the nests for eggs and wondered why one of my black Jersey Giants had some white feathers. Well I looked closer and my little sultan hen was sitting there with the Jersey straddling her. I've seen 3 in one nest at a time.

 

[Davaroo]

Utterly normal. Territoriality is rampant in the hens mind, sort of a "it's MINE!!" reaction, much like a small chicld.

They probably have both chose this as a good location to lay eggs, and while one has went broody, the other hasn't, and still desires to lay there. That is how hens can ruin anothers hatch is by moving them off for themselves to lay, or breaking eggs while trying to lay in the same spot.

Could also be a way for egg eating to get started, should eggs be damaged. Im convinced THAT is the main reason for egg eating - accidental breakage. The old wisdom says this is the main reason for egg eating. Once an egg is broken, the Joys Within are discovered.

Dodgegal is right. There can be umpteen other spots for them to nest in, but they want THAT one. And they will all try to get in it.​