We have 7, 6 month old Barred Plymouth Rock hens and 2 Roosters the same age. We were supposed to have rehomed the 2nd roo by now, but that fell through. I'm fully aware that 7 hens aren't enough ladies to go around for 2 gents, but they boys seem to have established their pecking (or mounting?) order and don't fight over the girls. I still intend to rehome or cull one roo, though.
We got our first egg on December 10th during a snow storm. Since then, each of the girls has come into lay. Not 100% sure all 7 are laying as lay was pretty sporadic at first. Last week, I started getting 6 eggs a day, consistently, which also points toward the 7th not laying. But I digress...
We live in a predator heavy area, so I don't let my chickens out to free range until it is FULL daylight. Right now, that is about 8:30 am. One evening last week, I heard a commotion coming from the chicken house, but didn't go check, as it was pouring down rain, muddy, dark and I knew it couldn't be anything in the house that didn't belong in there. It is a fortress! I figured it was just a chicken squabble. LOL Next morning when I went up to let them out, I checked the roos for bloody combs, etc. Nothing. I went ahead and let them out of the yard to forage, and went in to check for early eggs. I had been consistently finding 2 every morning in the favored nest. What I found that morning, was 2 hens in the same nest. We have 6 nest boxes, and the entire floor of the chicken house is covered in deep straw, so it didn't occur to me at that time that they were wanting to use the nest at the same time. I also found 2 soft shelled eggs that had obviously been dropped from the roost. I chalked it up to stress from whatever the commotion was the night before.(Had only had one soft shell up until then, laid by a hen on her second lay. She hasn't laid any soft shells since. They have a complete organic feed with 24/7 access and 24/7 access to oyster shell.)
I left them to do their business, figuring one would move to the other nest typically used when the favored one is occupied. When I went back up later, I found 2 eggs in the one nest, and both were warm, one just a tad cooler than the other. Different shades of brown and different shapes, so not 2 eggs laid by the same lady, which is kind of rare anyway. I also noticed blood stains all over the back of the nest box. Each day since then, I have found 2 hens in the same nest at the same time, and then 2 eggs in the same nest a bit later. The blood on the back wall of the nest box is increasing in amount. These girls are LITERALLY fighting over this nest! I am also consistently finding at least 1 soft shelled egg up there every day now. Sometimes more. One of the 2 in the nest this morning was a soft shell, and that is a first.
1) is there ANY way to stop these girls from fighting over this nest?
2) since there is no reason for a nutritional deficit in their diet, can I safely chalk these recent soft shells up to stress caused by the quarreling hens? Prior to them competing for the nest, all of our eggs were perfect.
3) As an aside (but maybe not) these roos tend to crow all night, too, which would, IMO, cause stress on the hens.
Thoughts? Thanks!
We got our first egg on December 10th during a snow storm. Since then, each of the girls has come into lay. Not 100% sure all 7 are laying as lay was pretty sporadic at first. Last week, I started getting 6 eggs a day, consistently, which also points toward the 7th not laying. But I digress...
We live in a predator heavy area, so I don't let my chickens out to free range until it is FULL daylight. Right now, that is about 8:30 am. One evening last week, I heard a commotion coming from the chicken house, but didn't go check, as it was pouring down rain, muddy, dark and I knew it couldn't be anything in the house that didn't belong in there. It is a fortress! I figured it was just a chicken squabble. LOL Next morning when I went up to let them out, I checked the roos for bloody combs, etc. Nothing. I went ahead and let them out of the yard to forage, and went in to check for early eggs. I had been consistently finding 2 every morning in the favored nest. What I found that morning, was 2 hens in the same nest. We have 6 nest boxes, and the entire floor of the chicken house is covered in deep straw, so it didn't occur to me at that time that they were wanting to use the nest at the same time. I also found 2 soft shelled eggs that had obviously been dropped from the roost. I chalked it up to stress from whatever the commotion was the night before.(Had only had one soft shell up until then, laid by a hen on her second lay. She hasn't laid any soft shells since. They have a complete organic feed with 24/7 access and 24/7 access to oyster shell.)
I left them to do their business, figuring one would move to the other nest typically used when the favored one is occupied. When I went back up later, I found 2 eggs in the one nest, and both were warm, one just a tad cooler than the other. Different shades of brown and different shapes, so not 2 eggs laid by the same lady, which is kind of rare anyway. I also noticed blood stains all over the back of the nest box. Each day since then, I have found 2 hens in the same nest at the same time, and then 2 eggs in the same nest a bit later. The blood on the back wall of the nest box is increasing in amount. These girls are LITERALLY fighting over this nest! I am also consistently finding at least 1 soft shelled egg up there every day now. Sometimes more. One of the 2 in the nest this morning was a soft shell, and that is a first.
1) is there ANY way to stop these girls from fighting over this nest?
2) since there is no reason for a nutritional deficit in their diet, can I safely chalk these recent soft shells up to stress caused by the quarreling hens? Prior to them competing for the nest, all of our eggs were perfect.
3) As an aside (but maybe not) these roos tend to crow all night, too, which would, IMO, cause stress on the hens.
Thoughts? Thanks!
