Super possessive of the nestbox - breed trait?

[gritsar]

One of my cornish X pullets has become super possesive of the nestbox that she's decided is hers and only hers.

When she goes into it to lay and finds golfballs and (sometimes) other pullets eggs, she pushes them out before using the box. She's not accidently pushing them out, I've watched her. She very deliberately uses her beak and feet to push the eggs out before settling down to lay her own egg.

If she sees me heading to the back of the coop, to the nestbox to check for eggs, she comes running and watches everything I do; giving me a healthy dose of stink eye the whole time.

This morning I heard her raising a ruckus. I thought it was the egg song, so I went out there. She was screaming because another pullet had entered her box.

This is going to create a problem because there is only one nestbox for the CXs and it is extra, EXTRA large. There is not enough room in the coop for another of the same size.

Do you have any breed of chicken that is so possessive of the nestbox? I'm guessing that there is a breed somewhere in the CXs lineage that accounts for this strange behavior.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Yes, my light brahma has a particular nest. She only lays in that nest, and will peck any chicken that dare's to occupy it when it's HER turn to use it. I've seen her peck at others until they get out of the box, then she lays down in it. She doesn't care if their eggs are in the nest though. That's why I call her the princess, she's a spoiled brat.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
HA! I was just telling DH tonight that I need to come up with a name for this particular pullet. She's quickly become the most reliable layer of all the pullets. Princess she shall be.

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

Our Alpha Hen, Dolly a sex link is OCD about the nest boxes...she does not allow the other breeds to use them! This afternoon one of the SLW was in a nest box when Dolly began to peck the daylights out of her, got her by the neck and pulled her out of the box. I have a hutch/jail in the run and she goes to jail when she gets bad. There are mornings I have to lock her up as soon as everyone starts to lay. She is so busy policing the boxes that she doesn't lay...I rarely get an egg from her and she does not take time to eat oyster shell so when she does lay it is very often a softshell egg that breaks.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
HA! I was just telling DH tonight that I need to come up with a name for this particular pullet. She's quickly become the most reliable layer of all the pullets. Princess she shall be.

Glad I could supply you with a name for her!

 

[gritsar]

Boo-Boo's Mama :

Our Alpha Hen, Dolly a sex link is OCD about the nest boxes...she does not allow the other breeds to use them! This afternoon one of the SLW was in a nest box when Dolly began to peck the daylights out of her, got her by the neck and pulled her out of the box. I have a hutch/jail in the run and she goes to jail when she gets bad. There are mornings I have to lock her up as soon as everyone starts to lay. She is so busy policing the boxes that she doesn't lay...I rarely get an egg from her and she does not take time to eat oyster shell so when she does lay it is very often a softshell egg that breaks.

I have hens like that, but they lay too. They just don't like anyone near the box while they are laying; even their sisters. I know that hen must be frustrating to you.​

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

Quote:
Dolly lets the other 5 Sex Links in the boxes but does her best to keep all the other 16 chickens out. She and two BO's are locked up in jail right now because they were terrorizing all the others who were trying to lay this morning....usually when there are disruptions, I have a low egg production day.