What is your 'chicken to nesting box ratio'?

[bustermommy]

10 hens, only 4 or 5 of which are laying right now, 4 nest boxes, all of which have been used at one time or another. My hens will not sit in the same box at the same time, they will sit side by side in two different ones or wait their turn. Sometimes, I'll get 3 eggs in one nest, another, I'll get one egg in each.

 

[KatieandRon]

Boston MA, We have 6 girls and 3 boxes. they use all three and sometimes use only two, the outer boxes. I have researched them for about a month before building them and i think I found a good size...12 in wide, 12 in deep and 9 in high.. they have been laying for about a month or two and I have not found any droppings... the reason for this is that the 9 in hight doesn't let them stand up straight to poo so they get out of the box to relieve themselves.

 

[kuntrygirl]

155 hens use 12 nesting boxes.

 

[RollinWithTheStones]

I have three nesting boxes, though the girls nest else where.

one in the rafters, one in the rabbit cage (thought today it was two of them), one in the food tray. Sometimes they'll just make a nest and lay a random egg. Luckily I have a 4 year old who is awesome at finding eggs.

 

[daver]

One box for five girls but only two or three laying.

Dave

 

[farmerinKC]

I have nine chickens-two nest boxes...most of the time they all use the one "special" box. I haven't figured out why it is the favorite box yet.

I guess my Chicken Zen isn't fully developed yet.

 

[LT]

We have 9 girls, six of whom are laying. We have 4 boxes, and all of them have been used at some point, but we typically find most of the eggs in one box. And I have seen one patient girl, Agnes, allow two others on different occasions to join her in the box. She usually keeps sitting after they leave. I thinks she is just slow.

 

[Tilly's Nest]

It is recommended that you have 1 nesting box per 3 hens. However, there is always a favorite box that the girls prefer. Sometimes, I find them sitting side by side in the same box laying their eggs, even though the other 2 boxes are completely empty.

 

[greensandjeans]

I have 4 chickens (3 laying) and 2 boxes. Two of the chickens use one box, my EE uses the other. I think she uses the second box because she was tired of waiting for my BO to finish laying. The EE is a loud squawker when she's getting ready to lay.

 

[Nonny]

I have three chooks, two nesting boxes, and they usually all lay in the box on the left.

Once I went to collect eggs and found all three eggs in the other box (obviously mt chickens have a sense of humour!) but the next day the eggs were laid in the usual spot again.

Two boxes is probably too much for only 3 chooks, but I figure if one is broody or taking her time laying and the others don't want to wait, there's still going to be a free nest for the others.