why do they all insist on using the same nestbox?

[beepbeepinajeep]

Our hens will only lay in one of our three nesting boxes. The difference is that it has a little more privacy because it is constructed differently. Two of them came from my great, great grandfather's old chicken coop (we salvaged what we could after over 50 years of not being used) so they obviously had different styles of laying boxes within the same coop.

This morning I found four hens in this one hen sized nesting box all making that ready to lay an egg sound and no eggs (usually we have one or two by now).

Why are they doing this?

 

[beepbeepinajeep]

The one on the left is the one they prefer. We have them in our newer coop now.

 

[beepbeepinajeep]

We did get 3 eggs... but I wonder why they all prefer that one. Should we just take out the other two if they don't ever use them?

 

[granmahen]

I was told they prefer the privacy, so they are picking the one with the walled in section. Mine prefer this too. And they jostle each other to see who can lay first. Sometimes I think they are also curious about how the one laying is coming along. Kind of like we women all visit the rest room together. Maybe you could make another one like the nest box they prefer, though my five girls will all use the same box no matter what.

 

[imtc]

that's normal for them. I have 5 hens and 2 boxes and they all lay in the same ONE. I still keep both in there though just in case they want to switch or whatever.

 

[Beau coop]

Mine all lay in the same nest box too. Then for some reason they will spend a day or two all laying in the poop tray under the roost.

Then it's back to the nest box. What's up with that?

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Chickens do not like to think or make decisions for themselves if they can follow someone else's example instead. I remind my children of this when we talk about following popular fashions & fads.

Laying hens are like the parents of NYC preschoolers -- they see someone leaving an egg/child in a nest box and say "gee, they think that's a good place to leave their dear offspring, I'll lay there too!" And the more eggs that are left there the more appealing the location becomes to the next hen.

When they see a broody hen in a nest they get really excited: "Wow, she's planning to raise her kids there, it MUST be a good place to lay an egg!" and they shove the Mama hen aside to add their egg to the clutch.

 

[deeredawn]

5-7 hens will share one nest box. I have 8 boxes and they all (30) use 2. The others are pooping boxes. I have no idea why they do this...