a question about feeding different foods to hens

[MamaCoop]

I have a MK1 cube and four hens. 

I have always had one noisy lady. Tells everyone that she is about to lay an egg, when she is laying and when she has laid. She has now started to get noisy if another is laying an egg when she needs to. This morning it started at 6.30 and went on for 40 mins. 

When I went out to check another hen was in there laying an egg. But we have a cube and so there is enough space for another to lay. 

I've taken the divider out of the cube between the bars and the nesting area to try and encourage them to see how big it is. 

I did try closing the coop door and only opening it a little later in the morning but the noisy one would just shout whilst in the coop! 

Has anyone got any ideas how to encourage them to use the nesting area when they need even if it means when someone else is already in it? Or is it down to personality. 🐔

Thanks 

[soapdragon]

Hmm, sounds as though you just have a very loud lady there! I've just remarked on another thread how funny it is that they all seem to have such marked personalities......if she has always been this way then she probably won't change now. Having typed that tho' we had a very quiet and nervous girl (LS bantam!) who ended up in a broody cage and came out a totally different chicken, very uppity........or maybe she was just really cross with us!

It sounds as though you have tried to mitigate; probably not a lot more that you can reasonably do.

Edited May 12, 2020 by soapdragon

[The Dogmother]

Leave them to it - they'll sort themselves out.

[Cat tails]

I have had some nervous layers (and will never get a gold partridge anything anymore....)

both Pickwicks would just pace and scream for an hour before finally laying an egg. That was with nobody on the nest... I would just lock them in the coop for laying. Hated the pacing and screeching.

Gerda has a tendency to do that too though... so will see how she develops. (And of course another brown hen with gold partridge neck feathers)

Edited May 12, 2020 by Cat tails