chickens laying outside nest boxes

[missstylishjet]

I have 9 hens & 1 rooster. My question, I have 1 hen that refuses to lay her egg in a nest box, she lays it in a corner. How can I get her to lay in a nest box? I have 4 nest boxes. I also have 1 hen that thinks she is setting on eggs,but she is mot because I lift her up & check to see if she has an egg everday, if she has one I take it. All my nest boxes have a fake egg except the one that the broody hen has taken op residency in

 

[BorneHomestead]

Try placing something in the spot where the one hen is laying her eggs, or make a nesting box for her in that spot. At least you won't have to hunt for eggs. As for the one who just sits in a nesting box, sounds to me like she is trying to be broody.

 

[SSAcres]

We have hens and pullets that just started laying a couple months ago. Not all lay in their boxes but in designated spots on the coop floor. As long as I keep finding them and they're not broken I'm happy.

 

[ANelson726]

When my girls first started laying, no one used the box. I even tried putting a fake decoy egg in the box, but my Black Australorp would just take the egg out and sit on it while she laid her egg. But then one day I cleaned out the coop and put a thinner layer of shavings down than I usually do and they suddenly started using their boxes. I guess they thought the thick bedding was comfier than their boxes!