If I free range my chickens will they still lay eggs in the coop

[auto5man]

Mine are locked up in coop at night, let em out at first light and they free-range all day, and they all lay in a box on my back porch. It's my fault, no their's, b/c I don't have nest boxes attached to the coop. The back porch is very convenient for collecting eggs, but not so much next summer when vacation comes around. Eventually my plan will be to have a more conventional set-up and enclosed run for when I go out of town. I hope it will be easy to retrain them to lay in the nest box attached to the coop.

 

[cmom]

My girls lay in their nest boxes even though they free range. I leave the coop door open as well as the gate to their run and fenced yard.

 

[ChickenGirl165]

Hello,

I usually let my hens out to roam around too. They do go back to the coop if they want to lay an egg. For mine, its just a matter of 'how to get in there.' Sometimes, one of my hens jump out of the coop when its not roaming time. I go to put her back and find her going (literally) crazy, pushing her head into the holes of the chicken wire and such. I just shake my head thinking how it deserved it for sneaking out but of course i put it back and it rushes to its nesting box.

But also, take note that the chicken will have to know properly that the nesting box is where its supposed to lay so dont let it free roam too early. Also, there could be a possibility that your hens are laying somewhere else. Probably because they found a more cosy place then their boxes. Just look in tall grass and corners with a stick and you would find some eventually if they were laying somewhere else. \\

Good luck

 

[birdmann420]

it is really hard to say. Let the girls loose and see what they do. Mine freerange everyday; rain, snow, heat,etc.. Half of mine lay in their boxes in the coop the other half is kind of a mystery. Some decide to lay in the straw mow, others in the hay, or some place in the barn.. You just never know. Its not a question of if they laid the egg, its where is the egg.
It is an Easter egg hunt daily. I could stalk the birds in the morning and find out where they go, but I found out that when I take their eggs from the nest they created, they don't lay there again, and will create a new nest somewhere else. Rather annoying, but it keeps their offspring safe (that they won't have).

My answer. You wont know until you try. All of mine (8 hens) don't lay in their boxes, only half of them do.

 

[glazeland]

I have been letting my chickens free range because they stopped laying (well maybe) they stay in for a day or 2 when i get a new hen and i have yet to get an egg. well i just got 4 geese and so everyone has been in the last 4 days. About an hour after the Geese arrives i got an egg, then the next day another and today i got 2 (out of 14 hens!) Do you think they are laying out in the field? I want to let them out during the day but we have 10 acres and i don't want to have to search for eggs everyday. The eggs that where recently laid where in the nest boxes, i have 4 boxes and plan on putting more in. I just want some feedback on if they will lay in the boxes if free ranging or what i can do to make them more interesting. Thanks!!

I'm not sure if anyone had posted yet but I am having such a similar experience I'm getting one to two eggs from 14 chickens but it is because my coop does not get very much light it was built in the 50s and I'm pretty sure that they just free range their chickens since I have neighbors I've had to been more picky but every time I let them out I get like seven eggs the next day I put two and two together my coop is too dark. I'm having my husband put in Windows from the barn