Chickens laying in the coop??

[pullet 123]

Hi, I had a question...why i have 1 pullet, same younger that the others, that is the only one laying in the coop. My others should be laying but they are not. (in the coop) I cant find any in the woods or yard... and it is starting to get annoying that i am getting nothing out of them.

They are free ranged if that makes a difference.

Once, a couple months ago, i found my barred rocks nest in the woods under a rock ledge, i was happy, but the eggs must have been 15 days old, so my pig enjoyed them. anyway, i need help to figure out why they arnt laying in the coop. thanks!

 

[Ploverha]

Our chickens like a clean, dark and quiet nesting box in the coop. If any of those factors are disturbed they start to lay wild outside.

Hope that helps

 

[sumi]

Hello and welcome to BYC

Hens like to find secret little spots to lay in, unfortunately! My son found a secret nest once with 18 eggs in it! All rotten

The best thing you can do to encourage them to lay in the coop is to limit their free range privileges for a week. Either keep them cooped up for the week or only let them out mid-late afternoon when most of them should've finished laying. Aslo put some fake eggs or golf balls in the boxes to make it more attractive.
The days are also getting shorter now, so they may be affected by the lack of light hours. Most hens need minimum of 14 hours of either natural or artificial light to keep them in production. So if they are really not laying you can add some light for them. This is best done in the mornings so you don't mess with their roosting behaviour. Good luck!

 

[birdonerous]

I second the suggestion to keep them in the coop until mid-day or restrict them from roaming for a week.

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas, pullet123, and

! I also agree with the advice of sumi! Best of luck upping your egg count! Best wishes!

 

[liz9910]

 

[weimarmama]

&

from Alabama. Glad you joined us.