Two chickens one box

[4intheyard]

Yesterday my RIR (Clara) and Dominique (Mabel) were in the same nesting box. We have two boxes, but they seem to prefer the same one. Anyway, they both laid an egg. I'm guesing it was pretty close to the same time, because then they came down the ramp to eat and get a drink of water. Is this a common thing?

 

[sarahbeth827]

I don't know if it is common, but my chickens do the same thing.

 

[mickey328]

It's very common...which is why you generally only need about 1 box for every three hens. We have 2 for our 6 hens and they ALL lay in the same one, LOL

 

[gryeyes]

Oh, my goodness, yes, that's common indeed. Good lord, if I needed a nest box for each hen........

Twice now, I have had two hens go broody in the same nest box AND hatch chicks together. The first time it was Lola (standard sized Cochin) and Monica (bantam Brahma mix) and they are raising two chicks together. Quite cute to watch.

Now I Sister #1 (blue Orpington) and Bernadette (Cuckoo Marans) are hatching chicks in the same nest box. It's a large, covered kitty litter box so they do fit into it okay. Yesterday there was one chick, today there are three....

I have 28 nest boxes available for the flock; this includes a 10-nest rollaway nest box system hung on the coop wall. Several of those nests are not used at all - some hens stand on the rails bitching about other hens sitting "too long" in their favorite ones. What's wrong with the nests on either side or above or below that one???

I've also had a couple of silly hens go broody in two of the rollaway nests, which is really stupid, because they cannot sit on the danged eggs, they just know they're there. Or should be there... One hen actually tries to pull eggs back under her! And yet those two hens set there, annoyed about it all, anyway.

 

[tracylo09]

Oh, my goodness, yes, that's common indeed. Good lord, if I needed a nest box for each hen........

Twice now, I have had two hens go broody in the same nest box AND hatch chicks together. The first time it was Lola (standard sized Cochin) and Monica (bantam Brahma mix) and they are raising two chicks together. Quite cute to watch.

Now I Sister #1 (blue Orpington) and Bernadette (Cuckoo Marans) are hatching chicks in the same nest box. It's a large, covered kitty litter box so they do fit into it okay. Yesterday there was one chick, today there are three....

I have 28 nest boxes available for the flock; this includes a 10-nest rollaway nest box system hung on the coop wall. Several of those nests are not used at all - some hens stand on the rails bitching about other hens sitting "too long" in their favorite ones. What's wrong with the nests on either side or above or below that one???

I've also had a couple of silly hens go broody in two of the rollaway nests, which is really stupid, because they cannot sit on the danged eggs, they just know they're there. Or should be there... One hen actually tries to pull eggs back under her! And yet those two hens set there, annoyed about it all, anyway.

very funny indeed, I wonder what goes through their heads.