Why? Why? Why??????

[gritsar]

Quote:
There's a reason I call this place The Funny Farm.

 

[BooBear]

No hen wants to be caught laying in the wrong box!
The early layer picks the "IT" box and all others dutifully lay in the "IT" box. Any girl caught doing opposite is chastised by the flock.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Yeah I get that part, but I'm really curious at to what my two top hens from the larger coop think they are accomplishing by laying in the brahma coop.

 

[CapricornFarm]

The hens are smarter than they look. If they lay all in one place, some hen will probably sit on them,omitting the work for them.

 

[lvchicken]

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That's what my Ameracauna will do. About six to seven chickens lay in one box, then Pebbles, comes and sits on them, even after I collect them! They're nuts!

 

[BooBear]

Quote:
Yeah I get that part, but I'm really curious at to what my two top hens from the larger coop think they are accomplishing by laying in the brahma coop.

Those are the high fashion boxes.

 

[Chickadee55]

A.T. Hagan :

Quote:
Who are YOU calling weird, lady?

I have a tractor with twelve ISA Browns in it. The nest box contains three nests. Every day we take 10-12 eggs out of the same nest. There won't be any at all in the others. Every day.

Another tractor has White Leghorns in it - twelve of those too - again with three nests in the box. Every day we'll take 9-11 eggs out of the same nest. The center nest is always empty. The remaining nest may have 1-2 eggs in it. Every day.

Still another tractor is full of Easter Eggers. They've only been laying these last couple of weeks. It has four nests in the box. Every day the eggs will be evenly split between the two outside nests and the center two will always be empty. In fact I think I'm going to stop putting litter in those two at all.

Regardless of species girls share many of the same behaviors...

At least your's are laying in the nesting boxes. Mine lay their eggs right on the floor........

They are either too lazy to get up there or just goofy

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
If the two younger hens - Ivy and Mandi - think the brahmas are going to go broody and save them the trouble they are in for a long wait. I've been waiting for more than three years for the very same thing.


Funny thing happened yesterday. Ivy as the head hen of the younger flock has been getting pushy and very bossy; even pushing some of my lower ranking brahma girls around. Ivy tried shoving her way into a pile of treats yesterday like she does with the low ranking hens. Too bad for her, the hens she tried to push are my biggest and bossiest brahmas. Those hens made sure she realized her mistake by stomping her into the ground. I cheered them on.

 

[sourland]

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You can bet that at Gritty's place there is always some hen ready to set on any and all available eggs.

 

[LovinChicknFarmn]

My husband and I were discussing this same thing today. He went out to get eggs and two girls were in the same nest box. Apparently both wanted to lay eggs and, of course, they both needed to lay in the "correct" box. We have 3 nest boxes for 5 girls. They will lay in one of two boxes, but always in the same one on any given day. They think the third is for show. That or it's haunted or something because they've laid in it once maybe.

Chickens are freaks. They can't help it.