Coop & nest boxes not accessible to free range.

[devora]

I may have to come up with a tunnel or bridge for them. Does it hurt them to hold the egg in for a couple extra hours?

How far is this Scylla and Charybdis they have to cross??

 

[Tikkijane]

You can try portable nesting boxes and see if it works. I'm not sure why you would have nesting boxes somewhere that they didn't have regular access to? Kind of defeats the purpose, imo, if they can't get back to use them when they need to. My girls are out all afternoon and I leave the door open so they can (and do) go in and out. I'd find a place for them to either lay (where is their food and water?) in the day area or make it possible for them to get back to the nesting boxes..... they will lay under bushes etc, too, unless they are used to laying in the nesting boxes.