Chicken stopped laying in the nest!

[1sttimefarmer]

Hello! I have 1 year old hens that have had zero problems laying in their nests. I've had a heck of a time with one broody after another and after the last round of broody hen, my Americana stopped laying in the nest. She is now laying all her eggs under a shed on our property. So far, she's laid 16 eggs under there! They free range all day but do have an enclosed run. Should I just keep her in the run for a couple days forcing her to use the nest again? My other thought is to block off her access under the shed but who knows where she might find to lay them if I do that? Also, what would make her do this? Maybe the other broody hen was in her way and she found a new place to lay? These girls have been crazy this spring!

 

[earlybird10842]

Check the link in my signature to my article on this. It says "Are your chickens not getting the concept of nestboxes?"

 

[song of joy]

I've found that it helps to keep my hens in a fenced area near their coop until at least noon each day, as they typically lay before noon, and this ensures their eggs will be in the nest boxes rather than hidden somewhere else. Last year - when I free-ranged them the entire day - some of the hens would find creative places to lay eggs. After a few weeks I really wasn't enjoying daily Easter egg hunts anymore, so I now let them free-range in the afternoons. This also reduces the risk of predation.