Egg laying where I want them to lay

[Ozarkoak]

Hi everyone I'm new to the forum and have a quick question. I have 40 or so laying birds and am not new to chickens. I am however new to the method I'm trying to use. I have decided to try a roosting house and a separate laying house. I have always had nest boxes in the coop. 80% of my birds have no issues using the nest house however several birds have decided to lay on the floor of their roosting area. I am wondering what I could do to encourage the few stubborn ladies to use the nest house. I was thinking about closing the door to the roosting house during the day for a few days, but I don't want to freak them out. I am basically using this exact method. https://www.plamondon.com/sare.pdf

 

[aart]

I was thinking about closing the door to the roosting house during the day for a few days, but I don't want to freak them out.

Sounds like a good plan.
If they can't get into the roosting house, they should go into the laying house like the other birds.
How many nests in the laying house...got pics??

Do you free range....or....?

 

[Ozarkoak]

I have 9 nesting boxes in the laying house and just some loose straw in there to for them to do their own thing if they dont like the boxes, which surprise surprise quite a few like the lose straw and building their own thing. Yes we 100% free range. I let them out at around 5:30-6am and put them up at 9pm or so. We have Leghorns, RIR, Cuckoo Marans, White Rock and a few easter eggers. I can get some pictures later today. A few of them lay in the sheep hay feeder, which I don't mind because its clean. I just don't like the roosting house because its dirty.

 

[Ozarkoak]

Well I locked them out of their roosting house today panic ensued for a few minutes for the ladies who like to lay in it. They searched for a way in, cackled and ran about. Then they decided to go with the flow and lay in the egg house. All clean eggs today! I'm going to do this the same for the next few days and then try and leave the door open again and see what happens. I think after a few days they will find they enjoy the egg house much more. Cleaner, cooler and overall nicer.