Anybody else's Sussex prefer to lay on the ground??!!

[pepperlady]

I have a small flock with 3 RIR and 3 Speckled Sussex hens. The free range during daylight hours here on the farm. My RIRs always lay in my nest boxes. My Sussex however seem to prefer to make their own nests on the ground & lay in them, so it is a forever egg hunt at our house!! Anyone know how to deter this, or am I doomed to hunt eggs relentlessly???

 

[Impress]

I have a couple of hens that hate the nest boxes in the coop, I made them little mini nest boxes like tiny dog houses, roof and all, and put a couple out in the yard where they liked to lay. They use them regularly, I was tired of trying to keep them in the coop and force them to use the nest boxes in there. If you are really fed up, you might want to try that. I think some hens are just more skittish or private and don't want to be laying around everyone else.