Nesting box and number of chickens

[Rcasady]

I have 11 hens and 3 nesting boxes in the coop. Is that enough space as my hens are not laying eggs and have been locked in their run for 5 days without 1 egg laid. They free range on about 10 acres and started laying where we can't find the eggs so we locked them up to re-train them. But now they aren't laying at all. We are trying to figure out why they are not laying. We live in West Michigan so molting could be starting.
We have 3 that are 2 years old: Barred Rock, Buff Orpington and an olive egger. 4 that are 1 yr old: 2 Brahmas, Isa Brown, Australop. 4 pullets (18-20 weeks ish): white leghorn, midnight marlan, golden laced wyandotte and an amberlink.
I'm worried they may be eating their eggs or there isn't enough nesting boxes or they don't have enough calcium.

 

[aart]

Yes, that's enough nests.
Molting could definitely be the issue for the older ones.
Only a few of mine are still laying, the others stopped a month or so ago.
The youngers may have not started laying yet?

 

[PhantomSlayer]

Thats enough nesting boxes. We have. 2 wyandottes, 2 buff orpington, 4 australorps 24 weeks old. We know the wyandottes and buff are laying but we not 100% sure on which of the australorps are laying.. A Brahma 21 weeks and an easter egger at 18 almost 19 weeks weeks.

Ours favor 2 out of 3 of our nesting box. The favorite one is big enough to be considered a 4th if put a divider in it. But we want to keep it as is for possible brooding spot. I want to believe the only australorp not laying yet is our runt. She much scrawnier than the others as shes had it rough since chickhood.

So your pullets may start soon. As for your olders it may be stress and being locked up. If their not used to it. Do you have any fake eggs or uneaten eggs in the nesting boxes? It might encourage them to think that its safe to lay?


I know chickens lay at 1-2 hours later than the day before but we usually have all our eggs by 6pm so we let ours freerange. We've been having predator paranoia so we've been keeping ours locked up more than usual. Maybe try letting them back to free range for the last hour or two of the day.

It could also be molting. But either way hope I can you some ideas to try.