Easter Egg Hunt…

[bannys barnyard]

Does anyone have any advice about how to get your hens to stop laying all over the yard and lay in the coop? I have 30 hens and I’m only getting about 5-8 eggs a day. I know that the hens don’t lay consistently during the colder months but is this normal?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Lock them in the run or coop (if enough room in the coop itself) to retrain them to use the nests inside.

 

[BGcoop]

What rosemarythyme said.

 

[aart]

I know that the hens don’t lay consistently during the colder months but is this normal?

If your birds are older than about 14 months they might have stopped laying due to
It's about the shorter days, not the cold.

Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop/run for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.