[gracie]

I knew that i was more often than not getting both eggs in the same nest box, but i didnt realise they were going in there together. Caught them yesterday in the same box.
The two hybrids are laying and the two buff orpingtons are nearly 26 weeks and not yet laying. The Buffs are also definately at the bottom of the pecking order, they will never eat at the same time as the other two, always holding back under the older ones have finished, so i was really surprised today to find the Buffs in the coop whilst the others were laying. They normally stay outside. At one point I thought one of the Buffs was actually going to get in the nest box as her front half was in there with Big Chief Esmerelda. Es can be a nasty piece of works with the Buffs but she didnt mind her cosying up at all.
Does anyone think the Buffs are doing this as they are due to come into lay.Their combs and wattles are growing but not particularly red yet. I am more than prepared for them not to lay until the spring now, but thought that this could possibly explain their changed behaviour.

[Lindeggs]

Yes it's possible this is a sign they are getting ready to lay.    None of my pullets showed any interest in the nest boxes until they were ready to lay - in fact I started to worry they wouldn't use them as I had never seen them give the nest a second glance! (I'm pleased to say they all worked it out alright.)

I have two nest boxes between six birds and although I sometimes hear an indignant 'SQARK!' when two want to lay in the sam nest box at once, they do seem to work it out. 

Sometimes two squeeze into one box at the same time, sometimes there is one pullet in each box, but when I come back later I find both eggs in one box!  And sometimes a disorderly, grumpy queue forms outside one box, even though the other is free. 

[Pudding cloth]

On a similar theme, I was wondering how many nest boxes you need for a specific number of birds. I have 4 chickens, a coop with 3 boxes and they lay mostly in the same box, if not at  the same time. The coop was bought at the same time as the birds and it is a great disapointment. It's made from rough sawn timber and is an absolute palace for red mite. It's got to go and I'm getting a solway plastic coop next and possibly another couple of birds. So my question is, how many nestboxes will we need?

[joyfull]

the recommended hen/nest box ratio is 3:1 but my hens have never read this fact as they all lay in just 2 nest boxes (at the moment I have 8 laying regularly and 5 of those are in 1)

[Pudding cloth]

Thanks for that info. I can't wait to get rid of present coop and replace it with a Solway number. I'll probably go for two nest boxes then. Thanks

[hillfooter]

3 or 4 hens per box is perfectly Ok.  Most poorly designed houses have too many nestboxes.  It's perfectly normal for hens to want to lay a clutch of eggs in the same nest and have them hatched by a single broody.
HF