How many are laying? Do chickens use smell to find a common nest?

[JMotuzick]

I know keep waiting! So I have 9 hens/pulletts. 4 are about 18 months old and I’m sure they are laying. The other 5 are about 26 weeks old. If the 5 3 are eggers and 2 are cochen’s one of the cochen has almost gotten her comb it’s quite red and almost full. The other has no comb yet. All of my eggs are brown. The hens are all laying brown eggs. Being November with no lights in the coop we typically get 3 eggs per day. Do we have 4 laying it 5? I dont get out there enough to watch to see who lays and who doesn’t. Any way of knowing? I can’t wait for the rest to lay!

Also one of the hens was new to us we took her out of the laying box at the old place and she quickly found our boxes. Even though there where no other eggs she found the one box that was being used. She quickly laid a egg and made her way out to the run. Did she smell the other eggs even though they where picked up already? Or just dumb luck? Either way 95% of the eggs we get are in the same box.

 

[cavemanrich]

This is in most of coops that have multiple nest, all, or most chickens choose just one or 2 nest to use. Not sure there is a human logic explanation. Often you will see 2 crowd into same nest at same time.
As to identify which chickens are laying which eggs, here is a little trick. Use food color on the chickens vent. Different color for each chicken tested. The egg will have a trace of color on it. Food color has no adverse affects on chicken.
Being this time of the year that many chickens take egg laying vacations, you may have to wait until days start getting longer in Spring.
All my pet chickens went on strike a few weeks ago, and I'm not getting any eggs. Still em.
WISHING YOU BEST .....

 

[JMotuzick]

Just after I posted I went out to the coop dressed up the feed and water plus collected eggs. 2 nest 1 and 1 in nest 2... it had to be today! I get they like the same nest but why is the new comer laying in the empty box? Must be dumb luck!

 

[chickens really]

No...They do not use smell or taste...They really have none..The hormones and instincts they have encourage them to nest..Seeing other Hens nesting and herein get the egg song encourages them to practise and then use the nest boxes....

 

[aart]

Did she smell the other eggs even though they where picked up already? Or just dumb luck? Either way 95% of the eggs we get are in the same box.

Probably not smell...more like she saw the other birds lay in that nest.

Seeing other Hens nesting

...or seeing real or fake eggs in the nest will entice them to use the nests.

 

[JMotuzick]

I guess no one understands that she was new to the flock. The nest was empty and she used/uses the same box. I’m guessing it was just dumb luck!

 

[JMotuzick]

No one guessing if I have 4 layers or up to 5? With 3 a day I’m guessing I’m up to 5. Awful short days this time of year in New England

 

[Chickassan]

I'm pretty sure they just watch and see what the other hens do. My girls lay in a cat carrier which is and has always been used to integrate newbies into the coop. This year's new girls lay in the carrier even though to them it should be a sleeping space, but because the older hens lay in there they do it too. It's chicken see, chicken do.

I guess no one understands that she was new to the flock. The nest was empty and she used/uses the same box. I’m guessing it was just dumb luck!

 

[Fairview01]

Has nothing to do with any of those logical reasons as stated above.

When the chicken fairy visits your coop she is very selective which nest boxes she will dust with her magic chicken fairy dust. Either she hasn't visited mine yet or has and decided homer buckets are unacceptable nest boxes.