If hens assigned themselves to a nest it would prevent un-even crowding around one nest in chicken coops. The hens could also not wander too far from their nest and maybe even sit in it all night, similar to villagers in their houses at night. This would make a cool dynamic similar to real life, allowing chickens to wander around un-fenced during the day while still going inside the coop to lay eggs and sleep. If the hen dies, the nest becomes abandoned and another hen could claim it.

Yeah, that's a good suggestion.