Hens pick favorite nest box?

[bigspringshatchery]

Do hens pick a nest box and use that one? In my rir pen I have 6 lens laying and four roll away boxes. And they all wanna use the same box. They are all the same size same everything. Why is this? It doesn't bother me just makes me wonder. I've seen two in the box and one waiting. She was standing at the entrance just waiting

 

[gryeyes]

Oh, YES. They DO have their favorites. Dunno whether it's chicken feng shue or what, but THEY know which nest is the BEST.

 

[cybercat]

This is why we use fake eggs. Hens will lay where other hens have layed. So since you have a hen in a box the others go right to that box. I have 4 boxes but only 2 laying right now out of my 9 hens. Both lay in same box every day and at the same time every day too. When I had 22 hens laying they used all the boxes. I expect when I am up to all nine laying again they will use 2 boxes. So I would not worry to much about it.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Yes, they do. I have about 25 nesting boxes and I will find 15 eggs in 1 nesting box. They will literally stand and wait in line until a hen has layed an egg and the next one will jump in and lay her egg. I have no idea why.

 

[dsqard]

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[featherz]

I have four nesting boxes. They picked the smallest, most cramped one in the back corner and so far everyone wants to go in there!

 

[chick4chix]

I have five girls and two boxes- they will favor one nest over the other for months - only lay in that one and just as you describe, wait in line for it with sometimes two or three girls up there at the same time, then for no apparent reason, start favoring the other nest with the same scenario. I have no idea why- and there are fake eggs in both nests- so who knows?

 

[Mogli]

mine do this too i have 5 hens and 6 boxes but they all lay in the one closesest to the coop door that i walk up in to get in the coop so i toke all the straw beding outa the ones they never touch but i leave 2 full of straw but still they go for the 1 next to the wall and coop door crazy birds lol

 

[NHchicks]

Mine will only lay in the right rear of the nesting area. No matter what's on the left, it doesn't matter, they all stick to the right side. And 2 of them will sit almost on top of each other if they have to, but they won't go anywhere else.

Except in the bushes sometimes. When winter comes I'll probably find a lot of eggs!

But usually they prefer a corner of the nesting area.

 

[LuvMyPeeps7]

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