How many nesting boxes should I add?

[JuliaSunshine]

It seems that I need to add one or two nesting boxes.
At the moment I have 2 nesting boxes for 10 Light Sussex pullets which lay up to 5-7 eggs a day and every morning there's so much drama in the coop.
Two or three pullets always whine loudly all morning standing in the coop, either wanting to use a box which is already occupied or feeling the pain of laying eggs which is still new to them.

Sometimes 2 chickens use one box but often I see one pecks another in the box trying to kick her out. The box is one cubic foot.

Anyways, I sometimes see 4 chickens in 2 nesting boxes all cramped but I feel the tension between them and somebody gets pecked or even kicked out.
I wonder if they'll eventually get used to sharing a nesting box or continue to fight to use it alone. Why do my chickens not want to share a box?
It looks like they won't fight as much if I have total 4 boxes but adding two boxes is a bit more difficult than just one in my situation.
So should I add two more or just adding just one would be okay?

 

[DobieLover]

every morning there's so much drama in the coop.

Normal.

feeling the pain of laying eggs which is still new to them.

I don't think so. They like to hear themselves complain.

somebody gets pecked or even kicked out.

Normal.

Why do my chickens not want to share a box?

They are chickens. If a dominant hen wants a box and the other won't get out, she's going to get driven out. If the dominant hen and the one in the box are buddies, they often share.

It looks like they won't fight as much if I have total 4 boxes

They'll still bicker over the "ONE" box that everyone gravitates to. I have 5 boxes for 21 layers and only rarely is there at least one egg in each box. More often than not, most if not all the eggs are in a single box.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

If it's not difficult, I'd add one more box. Then use golf balls or fake eggs to encourage laying in all three.

 

[JuliaSunshine]

Normal.

I don't think so. They like to hear themselves complain.

Normal.

They are chickens. If a dominant hen wants a box and the other won't get out, she's going to get driven out. If the dominant hen and the one in the box are buddies, they often share.

They'll still bicker of the "ONE" box that everyone gravitates to. I have 5 boxes for 21 layers and only rarely is there at least one egg in each box. More often than not, most if not all the eggs are in a single box.

Thank you for your explanation!

 

[JuliaSunshine]

If it's not difficult, I'd add one more box. Then use golf balls or fake eggs to encourage laying in all three.

I'll add at least one box for sure. Thank you.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'd add an extra box (or two, if you really have space for it) - 3 boxes for 10 should be plenty. My birds refuse to share nests even though I have oversized boxes (and I even used to have a community box which they would share), but all flocks are different. Some happily share nest boxes, some don't.

 

[defazzy]

A common rule is one nesting box for every three to four hens unless you have a large flock. An extra box should be okay if you don't have enough space to add more. You can use a box calculator to do the math. For larger flocks you can get away with less, like one box for every 5-6 hens.