Mine are doing that also. I am finding eggs in places they have never laid before. The new layers are laying in the nesting boxes, but the older hens are not.
A few months ago some friends gave my daughter a baby chick. It turned out to be a meat chicken. Well this morning she laid her first egg, and WOW what an egg it was. My leghorns lay a 50 gram egg. Poppy Chicken (the meat chicken) laid a 92 gram egg. Here is Poppy and her egg.
I keep mine in 5 gallon buckets in the garage. I take what I need to the pens and leave one in the pen to fill feeders with. I also keep corn and scratch in 5 gallon buckets. The lids screw on and keep all bugs, rain and pest out. I guess I have around 10 buckets that rotate from the garage...
Right now there are 3 Hens, 6 Pullets, and one Bantam Cockerel. They all roost on the two that are close together. I will get a picture tonight and post.
The double roost is 72 inches long and the new one is 61 inches long.
I'm in South Mississippi. During the summer I can put all my little ones out at about 4 weeks old. She has not started laying yet. She is the only chicken that we let out of the run because she follows my daughter around like a puppy. She is very sweet and very vocal. Here is a pic of her...