Chicken laying eggs only outside

[Funnygrlinblack]

Hello everyone!
Recently two of my six chickens in my flock have finally started to lay. I am so excited! We put nest boxes and nest eggs in the coop, and one of the laying hens uses a nest box every morning without a problem. Unfortunately the other hen I have does not use a nest box and will only lay outside in a nest she made in the bushes. I pasture my chickens, and I understand that this is a part of that, but I just want to know how to stop it. I kept her in the coop by herself for several hours this morning hoping she would lay in a nest box (she usually lays one around 9am, so I kept her in there until 1pm), but she just held it in until I let her out later. When I did she ran straight for the bushes and laid her egg in her nest outside 5 minutes later. I've been removing the eggs immediately, I've even tried putting the eggs and her in a nest box, but she won't have it. She isn't broody... She just has made a nest outside and only wants to use that one. How did you change this behavior?
Sorry if this is an obvious question, these are my first chickens! Thanks!

 

[iwiw60]

Since you are free-ranging them I would just give up the hope for using the nest box and since you have identified where she's laying just go and collect the egg(s) there....chickens.......go figure!!

 

[Funnygrlinblack]

Thanks! Well crap, I was hoping someone had a trick or something. She unfortunately has picked a place outside that is extremely had for people to get to. :/

 

[iwiw60]

Well, it may be hard to get to for now, but after you've blazed the "trail" for awhile you'll have a regular pathway!!

 

[ilovemybabies2]

I have 16 chickens that free range on 1/2 acre. I have placed 2 golf balls in each nesting box. They take turns investigating the box, and one is currently laying eggs in there, got an egg this morning in the box. The shell less eggs they've pooped on the grass or on the floor of the coop. Don't give up hope.... at all! I can only speak from experience (which isn't that much). My chicken lays in there, and I never trained her or stuck her in there. Just put the golf balls in, and she figured it out. They all know, but they aren't all laying yet.