Nesting box preferences

[ChickenGirl300]

Hey, so I currently have two nesting boxes for 8 laying chickens. I've heard you should have a 1-3 ratio, but even though they are identical, the chickens have their favorite box and refuse to lay in the otherone unless its a last resort. I've tried moving the boxes, etc. but no change. Do any of your chickens have a favorite box like this?

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

This sounds perfectly normal to me. My last flock had a summer nesting box and a favorite winter one even though I had five boxes and twelve hens. They liked the outside box in the summer and the one farthest from the pop door in the winter. Every flock and coop I had before that was the same way. I find the number of nesting boxes is usually more than they actually use.

 

[WingItRanch]

Yes, this is normal behavior. I think of it like safety in numbers maybe. They want their eggs surrounded by others.

Do you have a fake egg in each nest box? That can help spread the wealth so they're not all trying to cram onto one.

 

[BDutch]

Do any of your chickens have a favorite box like this?

Yes, but most important seem the number of eggs in the nestbox. Hens (the original ones) lay eggs to become broody and hatch a clutch of eggs. Chickens cooperate in laying eggs and even in getting broody.

What you see is a cooperating activity that made sense in the past.