One of my sex-links laid me a beautiful brown egg today 
. However, not in the nestbox, but in a nest she made in the most inaccesible spot in the yard. I don't have any golf balls, but I did put a wiffle ball in the nestbox. My question is, can/should I put the egg into the nestbox, or maybe a store-bought egg instead of the wiffleball, so she gets the correct idea? I sure don't want all my girls getting the idea that between the roses and the garage is a good place to lay 
Another question is regarding layer feed. My chickens are 17 weeks, and only 3 of the 12 are early layers. The rest are typically later. With only 1 laying now, should I start the layer feed? Will it harm the others to eat the layer feed and oyster shell?
raising up 1 son, my mother, a boyfriend, 2 dogs, 5 cats, 20 chickens, around 100 antique roses, and half the world's population of japanese beetles which the chickens are enjoying very much
raising up 1 son, my mother, a boyfriend, 2 dogs, 5 cats, 20 chickens, around 100 antique roses, and half the world's population of japanese beetles which the chickens are enjoying very much
I agree with the other posts. If you get any more eggs layed outside of the nest boxes I would shut the birds in the coop for a couple of days. I use medicated Starter/Grower I feed it to the birds until I get my first egg then I switch over to Layer. If I have any Starter/Grower or Grower left over when I get my first egg, I mix in the leftover feed with the Layer feed. I have never had any problems. The amprollium in the starter helps in the chicks development in their resistance to cocci. It is sulfa based. There is only a problem eating the eggs layed by the birds that have had the medicated feed when they start to lay if you have any alergies to Sulfa. You didn't say if your feed was medicated or not but if not no problems. Also I have a dish of free choice oyters shells available to the birds all of the time.
