The Favorite Nest Box

[JewelBirds]

So this past week I have really mastered the concept of the "favorite nest box". Except instead of a box, it's a corner of the coop that all of my hens have become obsessed with to lay their eggs at. In the last two days, I've had 5 hens lay their first eggs. Three 17 week old ISA Brown's (Begonia, Laurel, and Scarlett) and two 15 week old white Leghorns (Lorelei and "Dragon" - she doesn't really have an official name yet).

Now, perhaps they just followed Camillia's example (she laid the first egg of all of them - and continues to lay there). Or perhaps they are following some sort of first egg ritual (lol, possible but unlikely). But one thing is for sure, and that is that they all love that spot. In fact every egg (except Begonia's - you little rebel) has been laid in that spot thus far. I've put a few nesting boxes in, but they just kick the bedding out of it and then proceed to ignore it.

And they'll wait to lay there too. Laurel made the egg song noise all morning waiting for the sacred egg laying spot. But Lorelei, being the brat Leghorn she is, sat there for hours just to dig out a perfect little hole. Then left. And when Laurel tried to go and nest there, Lorelei came back and pecked her away. Lol. Finally, she got down to business and started to actually lay her egg, but Laurel couldn't wait any longer so she laid her egg right next to Lorelei, despite getting pecked on the face for doing so.

So do you have any "favorite nest box/spot" stories, or perhaps a picture of the "sacred" spot?
What's your record number of hens who have laid or tried to lay an egg in that special little spot?

 

[BlueBaby]

Yes, the hens are funny about all trying to lay in the same nesting box. When I first started out with a smaller flock, none of them wanted to use the 2 nesting boxes that hubby built for them out of wood. They just dug a hole and started laying the eggs in it instead. Then one of my old next door neighbors (who has since moved) was throwing out an old fridge. I took one of those clear plastic boxes that was in the bottom, put some artificial grass turf in it, and stuck it in the corner of the coop where my hens had been laying the eggs. Now they all want to get into it to lay the eggs.

 

[JewelBirds]

That's a good idea, I should try something like that (regarding the nest boxes).

 

[BlueBaby]

That's a good idea, I should try something like that (regarding the nest boxes).

Sometimes you've just got to be smarter than the chickens are.