Older hens won't let pullets into the nesting boxes (The mornings are now chaos)

[Ivytwilight]

I finally introduced my 5 month old Silver-laced Wyandottes to my little over a year old Dominque hens.I have two of each. They have been living peacefully together for about a month, but within the last week or so the SLWs have started to lay eggs. One lays eggs where ever she happens to be at the time, in the run, in the yard, doesn't matter to her. They seem to just fall right out of her. The other laid her first egg this morning, but for the past week has been going up into the coop and digging around in the nesting boxes for as long as she pleases. I mean she goes up there and digs all the bedding out of the nesting boxes and then continues to scratch at the bare wood. That in itself is pretty loud and annoying, but doesn't last too long because my Dominque hens will go up into the coop and squawk and cause a huge ruckus until they run the SLWs out of the nesting boxes.

It is loud to say the least. They have been doing this every single morning. They are so adamant about scaring the young girls out of the coop the rooster down the road starts crowing as well! Needless to say things get really, REALLY loud. It wakes us up, and I'm sure the neighbor's have been none to pleased with the noise either. I end up hurrying outside, grabbing my Doms, and bringing them inside until the SLWs have laid their eggs and are out of the nesting boxes. I was wondering if this behavior is going to continue indefinitely, or will they allow the new girls to lay in the nesting boxes sooner or later? Is there anything I should do to help the transition? Could I put a nesting box down in the run and hope the SLWS use that one instead? Other than this issue they get along pretty dang well. They have started dust bathing together and foraging as one little flock. But Oh dear the egg laying...

My Doms never so much as a made a peep when it came to laying their eggs before the SLWs started trying to get into the nesting boxes. I think it has to do mainly with the fact my one hen has to lay her egg and she doesn't want the SLWs in the boxes while she is up there. She will start chasing and screaming after them, which calls the other Dom to join in. They were always bullies, but quiet bullies until the "EGG LAYING TRAGEDY" as I have been calling it. I didn't know they could be so loud. I have tried putting all sorts of goodies in the run to distract them which only delays the noise for about an hour or so, but the episode still happens. After the SLWs are finished laying I take the Doms back out into the run and the one will immediately go up into the coop, make sure no one is in it and will lay her egg. The coop is an open air plan, as we live in the desert, and had have heat exhaustion issues when it was inclosed. So, there is no buffer between their fits of hen rage and the outside world.
Will the girls ever stop the egg drama, or am I destined to have overly zealous mornings for years to come?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[teach1rusl]

Well, with certain hens of mine, every egg laid, or even anticipated being laid, is reason enough to cause a drawn out cacophony - they'd invite the local high school band if they knew how to reach them. Others are very discrete - you'd never know they'd been in to lay other than the evidence of eggs. So the noise may or may not go away, as all hens react differently to egg laying.

If you're having issues with your older gals hogging or guarding the nest boxes, I'd simply add another box, even if it's just a covered litter box or some other container set on the floor in a corner of the coop (personally, I'd avoid the run). Lace the new box with a dummy egg or two - a boiled egg would be fine and won't be easily broken if left in place for a few weeks. I used wooden eggs for my girls when they first began laying. I'm sure it'll all work out in the end...

 

[Ivytwilight]

Thanks for the response. We did add more nesting boxes and that did nothing. She never made any noise while laying an egg before this week and she has been laying for over a year. It isn't an egg song so much as she chasing the younger ones away from the boxes and stands in the coop blocking them while squawking. So, yes it is the guarding of the boxes. The Dom will lay her egg when I let them back outside and is as silent as she has ever been in the process. I don't really care about the other one laying in the run or in random areas that much at all. Frankly, as long as she is laying in the run the older hens don't make a fuss which makes me happy. Perhaps I will move some of the boxes to the far end of the run and elevate them a little bit. Or maybe I will just split the run in half again, separate them and give them each their own coop . I hope it doesn't come to that.
I must be strange in the fact I would love a breed that is a poor egg layer, but forages great! We got Dominiques because we were told they were excellent foragers and relatively poor egg layers, about three eggs a week....Well, they are super awesome foragers, but lay every single day. They were a quiet breed until this all started.
I really hope she settles herself down soon enough. I don't live in the city, but our neighbors are close enough I don't like to be a bother with noise.

 

[dandrews1971]

What I would do is isolate the troublemaker for several.days to a week . then let her back in. Should be long enough to change up the pecking order .

 

[Ivytwilight]

The one causing the trouble had heat exhaustion about three weeks ago and spent a good four days inside until she felt better. She went out and immediately fell right back into being the second from the top. We will keep her in longer this time to see if it will work! She has always been the dramatic one of the bunch. Thanks for the advice!