9 chickens are laying in 1 nestbox?

[tlck9]

Hi All

I have two coops, and until the last week the established chucks are laying in the coop they sleep in and the new ex batts laying in their coop

in the last week, the old 5 have started laying in the old coop and I'm worried because they say you should have a nest box per 2-3 chickens

Although I have 5 nest boxes across 2 is there any reason why I should be worried or just let them get on with it

[OverWyreGrower]

We have 3 nest boxes for 6 chickens, and they all still lay in the same box

Sometimes I'll find 2 of them squished in at once, laying at the same time....

[Suechooks]

Mine have a nice nest box in their hut and choose to lay on the straw bale outside. I've had to put a blue plastic tray in there as eggs were hurtling on the ground as they all tried to sit on top of each other to lay. It would be my 2 biggest girls (Speckledy and Bluebelle)who try to lay at the same time and nearly squash the poor little Black Rock sitting there minding her own business! The gap they originally tried to get in was about 3" wide!

[RichmondHens]

The one nestbox to 3 chickens thing is just a guideline. As long as no-one is being put off laying then let them get on with it. They have obviously found what suits them. I don't have individual nestboxes, just one big communal one built on the side of each hen house. They all pile in as and when they need to and shuffle around to fit in.

[Hans Mum]

snap i've got 4 nest boxes for 10 and they all use the same 1 unless one of them cant hold on any longer

[MaureenHall]

Must be a "chook thing" I used to have a couple of boxes in one of the coops as nest boxes but none of the girls ever used them so I've taken them out. There's 4 nest boxes in the other coop, 2 are usually empty when I go to collect the eggs, another 1 will have 3 or 4 eggs in and the favourite one has had up to 12 in it! I've even seen 3 big girls all trying to lay at the same time in it (it's about 14" cube!)

[Hans Mum]

I'm worried because they say you should have a nest box per 2-3 chickens

trouble is chickens can't read

[chicken_house_man]

Oh yes they can

[Shellintons]

Mine have 6 boxes between 15 hens. I never increased this as they only ever use one. I have seen 3 in there at once they seem to manage though

[MrsC]

As the previous posts, don't worry, if they are happy laying where they lay leave them to it. I give up with the nest box thingy. They all lay where they like (in the same place) they are happy and healthy so I just leave them to it. Bit of a hunt every day tho

[Breezie]

Mine all lay in the same nest box and i was told that it's the one they feel safest in that they'll all go for, the one mine lay in is the darkest and furthest from the door.

When i found out about incubating some eggs, i read that daylight isn't good for the egg, Is this the reason they'll lay in the box that has least daylight on it?

[RichmondHens]

Mine all lay in the same nest box and i was told that it's the one they feel safest in that they'll all go for, the one mine lay in is the darkest and furthest from the door.

When i found out about incubating some eggs, i read that daylight isn't good for the egg, Is this the reason they'll lay in the box that has least daylight on it?

I've not heard about daylight hurting them. I think hens are "programmed" to hide their eggs away from predators. When left to totally free range and lay their eggs anywhere they choose they tend to go for the quietest, darkest little spots - they can be quite imaginative. I had a couple of bantams whose eggs I could not find for days and days, then finally discovered them in an old woodshed - they had been laid in a half empty carrier bag on its side on the floor with a few twigs/leaves in that kept it in one place. The hens had crept in and laid inside the bag and then crept out again!