How many nesting boxes?

[Brahmaman]

I have 5 chickens and only 2 are old enough to lay. At the moment I only have 3 nesting boxes should I add more for when my younger chickens grow up?

 

[ChickensRDinos]

You only need 1 box for every 3-4 hens. They like to share. 3 is fine for you and you could go down to 2 if you wanted. I have 6 hens and 2 boxes but they all lay in 1.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

I have eight mature laying hens and three nesting boxes. They all lay their eggs in the same box...the one on the far left. Every once in awhile they all lay their eggs in the one on the far right but there are never eggs in multiple boxes on the same day. I believe that three boxes for five hens is plenty.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Don't be surprised that with only 5 hens they all lay in the same box. It is a flock pressure kind of thing. Part of the whole flock mentality that effects behaviors.

They don't even need 3 nests, let alone more. It's just the way they are. LOL

 

[llandry]

I have five girls laying and they all use one box. I didn't realize this when i first built my coop. I got four chickens and built four boxes. Coop 2.0 as my computer programming husband calls our next coop will only have two boxes. What's funny is who ever lays first each day is the decider of that days box. Sometimes it's box #1 sometimes it's #2, etc... They always lay all 5 eggs in the same nest though. It's pretty cute.