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Number of Nests Per Chicken

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If you're raising laying hens, you'll want to provide plenty of nesting areas where chickens can enjoy privacy and solitude to lay. Like people, some chickens have more social personalities; it's not unusual to find two or three chickens crowded into a single laying box even when more are available. Some chickens will not get along with others and prefer a quiet place to themselves.

Ratio of Nest Boxes Per Chicken

Each hen will usually frequent her favorite nest box. You should have a minimum of one nest box for every five chickens, with one nest box per two to three hens an ideal ratio. You'll know if you don't have enough nest boxes when hens begin to lay eggs in places outside the nest boxes you have provided, such as in a horse feeder or in a quiet corner of the barnyard.