Mean hen when others laying

[DobieLover]

Why are chickens so mean! My 7 other hens get along great. Just these two think they own the place

It's not mean to the chicken. It's normal behavior.
I've seen lots and lots of my hens staring down, pecking at or outright forcing a laying hen or pullet out of a nest box. It's part of the pecking order. If no one is injured, leave them to sort things out.

 

[rosemarythyme]

If there's no blood and the picked on birds can eventually lay, I'd leave them be. If the nest boxes are pretty open, a bit of a curtain may help provide some protective coverage.

 

[aart]

Show us your nests.

 

[The Cave]

I think she laid outside the nest today, someones was on the floor

These are the drawers I just put in, they have 6 nesting boxes on the ground in a little blocked in area as well that nobody ever lays in so maybe I will modify those to make them bigger and higher off the ground with some curtains

These are my nice two youngins

 

[rosemarythyme]

These are the drawers I just put in, they have 6 nesting boxes on the ground in a little blocked in area as well that nobody ever lays in so maybe I will modify those to make them bigger and higher off the ground with some curtains

Yeah curtains might help with an open set up like this, mostly because their heads and backs are pretty exposed when sitting in there.

 

[theoldchick]

I have 16 nest boxes and the hens all want to use the same one. And apparently they all have to lay at the same time. And let me tell you those gals get down and dirty. I've seen one hen pull another out by the comb. Kicking and screaming the entire way. I put meanie in the time-out area located beneath the nest boxes. It is simply a fenced off area set up to keep a hen and her babies in a safe area yet allow them to be seen by the flock. After a few days the flock dynamics changed enough so she wasn't so aggressive. On another occasion I put a pair of pinless peepers on a especially bossy hen and that cured her. Normally, I let the girls sort out their own problems but when I have one drawing blood I take action. And if the aggressive hen does not improve she goes to the bachelor pen where she is eventually rehomed for food purposes.

 

[aart]

These are the drawers I just put in, they have 6 nesting boxes on the ground in a little blocked in area as well that nobody ever lays in so maybe I will modify those to make them bigger and higher off the ground with some curtains

Drawers need tops.
What do the other 6 look like?

 

[The Cave]

Drawers need tops.
What do the other 6 look like?

They are wood boxes fully enclosed just with the open front, I think they might be a bit too small though, I see someones been testing them out but no eggs in them.

 

[aart]

I think they might be a bit too small though,

I like nests to be 14 x 14 x 16 tall.
They need a good front lip ~4" above bedding to keep eggs and bedding from being kicked out.
One fake egg in each nest can help attract them to the nest and 'spread the love'.