Suggestions Please: found an egg stash

[Messipaw]

Hi
I have eight hens. We have a eight by five Amish coop. We also have a small rabbit hutch and a small two chicken coop in a 18x24 gated pen. All together there are five nesting boxes. We needed to remove the small rabbit hutch do to rotting. It seems it was the favorite nest for egg laying. Since we removed it about four days ago I've noticed a drop in eggs. My husband found about eight eggs in a covered tire. They free range all day and laid their eggs in a tire. They have five nesting boxes and this is what they choose? LOL Ahhh.
I floated the eggs and they all sunk to the bottom without floating so they were freshly laid. What should I do??
I added fake eggs to the nest already. Should I keep them on lock down in their pen for a few days?

 

[ShockValue]

Yep. I had one chicken go rogue a few months back and a 2 day stint locked in the coop (while making the "new" nest unappealing) fixed it.

This week we have a broody sitting on eggs, and she was hogging the "favorite" box. I noticed a decline in eggs... And this is what we found today:




I'm removing the wheel barrow and they will get another couple days locked in to reset their spots back to the nests.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Unfortunately for you and me chickens lay eggs to reproduce themselves, not for us to stick into our pie holes. Therefor they prefer to lay in places that the hens feel safe, and that better support incubation. Wild chickens prefer to lay on the ground and everything being equal eggs hatch better when they are incubated while in contact with the Earth. Use a hens' preference in a nest location to your advantage and give your hens a dark, secure, and private place to lay and incubate if you want peeps. Unless you are gathering 1,000s of eggs each and every day your back can't tell the difference. And if your hens free range you'll save the daily Easter Egg hunt.

 

[aart]

Hi
I have eight hens. We have a eight by five Amish coop. We also have a small rabbit hutch and a small two chicken coop in a 18x24 gated pen. All together there are five nesting boxes. We needed to remove the small rabbit hutch do to rotting. It seems it was the favorite nest for egg laying. Since we removed it about four days ago I've noticed a drop in eggs. My husband found about eight eggs in a covered tire. They free range all day and laid their eggs in a tire. They have five nesting boxes and this is what they choose? LOL Ahhh.
I floated the eggs and they all sunk to the bottom without floating so they were freshly laid. What should I do??
I added fake eggs to the nest already. Should I keep them on lock down in their pen for a few days?

Yep!

Leaving them locked in the coop for 2-3 days can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. They can be confined to coop 24/7 for a few days to a week, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it.

 

[Messipaw]

So far day two on lock down in the pen. They are using the nest boxes. I only let them free range after four o'clock. By this time all their eggs are usually laid.