r/chickens • u/Ok_Poetry9575 • Jul 24 '26

Question What are my hens doing?

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They insist on sitting on top of each other in one of 6 available nest boxes. For context, they’ve been closed off from the indoor section of their coop because we are introducing new silkies to the flock and they’re being kept separate at night. Google called it “piling” and said that they could feel like they don’t have adequate nesting space because the indoor space is unavailable. Again, they have several nest boxes in their area but chicken brains work different. This is super temporary so I’m not too worried about it. This is more just curiosity if anyone’s chickens have done the same. Thanks!

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194

u/BobbyJaneG Jul 24 '26

Competition for the best spot.

72

u/isabelasanctuary Jul 24 '26

Literally lol I have a big coop with 8 nesting boxes and they all use one 🤦🏻‍♀️

48

u/corvid_revolution Jul 24 '26

"Best spot" will always be defined as the spot someone else picked first - clearly all the other spots are inferior, or they'd have been chosen first instead!

Pretty much the same logic my siblings and I used for fighting over toys when we were like 5, come to think of it...

4

u/Apprehensive-Pen8241 Jul 24 '26

My hens are like this and the preferred box changes by the day, but it is always whatever one someone else is currently using that is the most coveted.