How can I prevent my EEs from overcrowding the nesting box?

[ohnoicantfly]

Hi, I was letting my flock out this morning and checking for eggs when I discovered two of my EEs nesting in the same box. Normally, I wouldn't be too concerned about this, but one of the hens was seemingly suffocating the other. She was really out of breath so I moved the hen that was sitting on her and she jumped to the floor and ran off (she had already laid her egg). The poor choked baby began gasping but recovered enough in a minute or two and she sat down to lay again. How can I prevent this from happening again? The EEs like to share the same nesting box.

 

[sourland]

Can you increase the size of the nesting box? Chickens always want to use the site that is already taken.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Is there another box exactly like this one just next to it? It's always something different around here even though they have 3 very big (good call from Sour,) boxes exactly same.. Sometimes top lady will "pull" the hen out of the box she wants OR get in there and push her out or every once in a while its magic, they move to the next box over. I guess my point is that as long as you solve for enough boxes that are good sized, they're still going to do random behaviors. This must have been alarming, makes me wonder if it's happened in my coop and I've just never witnessed it.

 

[ohnoicantfly]

I have two nesting boxes right next to each other. Most of the girls just like to use one. I can try to increase nest box sizes

 

[agarnp]

I found 3 in one nesting box even though they had two other empty ones to use. i prodded them a bit but they would not budge.... first time i see that but its probably because there are younger ones ready to lay now . hope this doesnt become a thing

 

[Ridgerunner]

I found 3 in one nesting box even though they had two other empty ones to use. i prodded them a bit but they would not budge.... first time i see that but its probably because there are younger ones ready to lay now . hope this doesnt become a thing

With my flock it is not unusual to see three hens laying in the same nest while all other nests are empty. It does not happen every day but I'm not surprised when I see it. I made my nests 16" cubes so they can at least all sit in the nests instead of laying on top of each other. I chose 16" because that was my stud spacing and that made framing them easy. I was not being wise with foresight because I did not see this coming.

Typically my hens don't mind sharing the nest, either a broody hen incubating eggs or a hen laying an egg. But I have had a hen I called a nest hog. She would not share a nest while laying an egg and she took about three hours to lay her egg when she went on a nest. Not a sociable hen and not typical for my flock. I had a dominant hen reach inside a nest, grab a pullet by the head in there laying her egg, and jerking her off of the nest so the dominant hen could have that nest for herself. I've seen a few hens obviously waiting for a hen to finish laying so she could have that specific nest to lay her egg although all other nests were empty. And I've seen some hens climb right in with the other hen and start to lay.

I don't think there is anything you can do to stop any of that behavior. They are going to do what they are going to do and that is going to depend on their individual personality.