How bizarre - All 3 suddenly deciding to use the other nest instead?

[Nonny]

I have two nest boxes, side by side, and because the chooks were getting tatty tailfeathers I removed the partition between them making it into one larger box, thinking they can sit sideways and stop having their tails rubbing against the sides. Despite this, they have still been laying their eggs to one side of the nest, in the original spot where they always laid before, leaving the other end of the nest box unused.

Until now.

This morning when I opened the lid, all three eggs were in the OTHER side of the nest box!

What would make all three suddenly decide to switch which spot they lay their eggs?

 

[kaybats]

Nonny-----Chickens.....are they not great? Just when you think you know what to do, they change the game plan.....I LOVE it!!!

 

[Nonny]

Well after a single day of using the other side of the nest box they've since gone back to putting all their eggs in the usual spot again.

:

 

[Kaeta44]

Just as we have our favourite side of the bed, chickens have their favourite nesting site. However, sometimes they get bored with the view and lay somewhere else! But you've got to love them and their funny ways!

If I were you, I'd put the dividing board back so that they feel they have a bit more privacy.

http://muckycluckers.blogspot.com/

 

[Nonny]

I think the nest boxes are too small, which is why I removed the partition in the first place. It's a stupidly small EBay coop, bought when I didn't know what I was doing, and I believed them when they said it was okay for 3 chickens.

Here's a pic of the nest from before I removed the partition. I have also added a "wall' of heavy cardboard to the front of the boxes, with a hole cut into it as a "door" so I'm hoping privacy isn't an issue. I added the wall to try and stop them sleeping in the nests, and it worked really well.

I've never seen them go in together - even when there were two boxes. They seem to just take turns?