eggs all around

[prncssprplfrog]

My 4 hens started laying on the coldest day of our NY winter- oh sometime in early January. We've had very little problem, other than they all want to lay in one of the three nests we have.
Two days in a row now, I've found eggs outside of the nests. One on the floor of the run yesterday and two on the floor of the coop today. Should I be concerned?
Does anyone know what might cause such a thing?
How can I fix it?

I was worried the other day because I found a broken egg in a nest with 2 other whole eggs- but it seemed to be an accident and wasn't repeated.

 

[CoopCrazy]

I wonder if someone is wanting to go broody and has been kicking others eggs out.. Any of your girls spend alot of time in the box or give you the stink eye when you go in???

 

[grandmachicken]

I have a similar problem. I have 12 hens and all should be laying now, the weather has warmed up. They are free range, I keep them in a coop at night, but let them range on 6 acres during the day. 5 are regularly laying in one nest, but the others seem to lay outside the coop, in the woods, whereever they happen to be. How can I encourage them to use the nests? I'm tired of searching through the woods!

Thanks,

Christi

 

[CoopCrazy]

Quote:
I had to keep my girls in for a few extra hours when i first started free ranging.. That way they were mostly done laying before I truned them out.. Now I have some that lay in the am and some that lay in pm .. Maybe try keeping some fake eggs in there and they will hopefully want to lay in the box.. Also I would find their "stash" outside and clear it out.. that way they see its not a "safe' place to lay..

 

[prncssprplfrog]

Quote:
My two big fluffy partridge cochin girls don't like to leave the next sometimes when I come out to check for eggs. The problem I have is that everyone's laying times seem to be staggered, so I check in the morning & the afternoon.
BTW- The person who built my coop & nest boxes didn't believe me when I said the nest boxes were too small. I really don't know how my cochins stuff themselves in there... I bought two big plastic boxed, but my tiniest girl- my sebright used it a few times & then they stopped!

No telling what these silly girls will do!

Thanks BTW<

 

[prncssprplfrog]

Update:

I think my Sebright might be laying in the back corner of the coop, under the roost.....My son had to use the hay rake to retrieve them today!

My kingdom for an intelligent carpenter.....the one I had build my coop (a friend) built the back too far back.....I'm unscrewing the back- which is a foot away from the roost as soon as the snow is away from it!


How do I stop her from laying back there? If she was brooding the eggs, I'd leave them there, but alas- they were cold.

 

[albsure]

When my hens were ranging around the barn this winter, they would lay eggs anywhere convenient for them: in the wheel barrow, on the makeshift counter top, ... I was able to get them back to the nests by confining them for a week in the coop (with plenty of feed and water). This seems to have worked, as they haven't laid outside the nests for a couple months. Try confining them and limiting the available nesting spots. They're creatures of habit and should fall into a routine... maybe. Good luck!