What is up with these messy hens?

[Danigirl3]

It never fails I fill the nesting box up with hay and when I go back later to check on them they have kicked it all out. It's only one of the nesting boxes that they do it to and I don't think I have ever had eggs in that box. Today I put the hay all back in and one of the hens jumped in and proceded to kick it all out while I was there. The boxes are all the same. I swear they are worse than little kids and their toys.

 

[Gailchickie]

Mine do this with their feed. I suppose in our case it is more natural for them to like feed on the ground than in a feeder. As far as your nesting box goes, that's interesting! Maybe they are decorating!?

 

[Kittymomma]

I use shavings in the nesting boxes. It seems to keep the eggs cleaner and I don't have to do a full change as often because I can scoop out any nasties.

The hens do love to play in the loose hay in the barn though. Everytime I open a bale they go in and tear a flake of it all to pieces. I wonder if your girls are looking for seeds? Strange that they only tear it out of the one nest box though.

 

[koifarm]

Thats funny, mine do the same thing, there is one nest box the hens will just not let anything in and will scrape the hay out when put in the box.
Who said chickens were boring....???

 

[thewarriorchild]

I wonder if they think "Will she just stop messing up our space gee whiz can't she see we cleaned it already!!" lol