She moves the nesting box out off the way!

[Phyz]

We have a great setup for our nesting boxes. There is a bump out on the coop with an area big enough for 2 boxes. Inside, we have plastic totes with cut outs so the girls can get in and out easily. The boxes are kept filled with aspen bedding and 3 golf balls each. Our girls have used them from day one and each box is used more or less equally among our 5 laying hens. Last week, our sixth hen started laying and apparently there is something wrong with the boxes in her eyes. She always tips one box to its side, moves it out of the way, and lays in the nesting area, but on the coop floor. Any chickens who follow are forced to lay in the sideways box (which they do) until we right things again. I don't want to attach the boxes to the floor since I love their easy removal for cleaning, but how do I convince this silly chicken to accept the box? I caught her in the act this morning and snapped a photo.

 

[Ameraucanas]

Have you tried putting straw and other nesting materials in the box?

 

[Phyz]

There is shredded aspen in the nesting boxes, although it gets more sparse every time she dumps them out. The space in between the boxes where she is laying has no bedding at all.