Eggs all over the place!

[Berniejane]

My birds are about 5 months old and one of them has started laying. The problem is they have my whole back yard to free-range and I find the eggs all over the place on the ground. This morning for the first time one of them was inside the coop. But not in the nesting boxes. When can I expect them to start using the nesting boxes? I am fearful that they will have time to pick one open and eat it before I find it. It's a game of hide-and-seek everyday.

 

[Hei 20]

My birds are about 5 months old and one of them has started laying. The problem is they have my whole back yard to free-range and I find the eggs all over the place on the ground. This morning for the first time one of them was inside the coop. But not in the nesting boxes. When can I expect them to start using the nesting boxes? I am fearful that they will have time to pick one open and eat it before I find it. It's a game of hide-and-seek everyday.

 

[aart]

When can I expect them to start using the nesting boxes?

Once you do this:
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.

 

[Mrs. K]

do that ^^

 

[Ridgerunner]

The egg laying process is pretty complicated. That includes putting the egg together properly, when to lay it, and where to lay it. Sometimes a pullet just starting to lay doesn't get it all correct. Some pullets seem to know the egg-laying is going to start soon, look for a good nesting site, and know what to do. Some don't. It seems like the egg pops out wherever they are, whether on the roost or walking around the run or coop. To me the surprising thing is how many get it right to start with.

Usually they get these glitches out of their system pretty quickly, a day or two. Some might take a couple of weeks. If it goes much longer than that there is probably something wrong with her. If she is just dropping them at random she is still in this phase. Try being patient.

If you are finding the eggs in the same spot every day then she has decided this is her nesting spot and you probably need to retrain her. If that is the case get back with where it is and we can discuss it further.

This is not something unusual. It's aggravating and annoying but not unusual. If one figures it out it seems to help the ones starting later. They can still mess up but it seems with mine to happen less. Once you get old established hens most pullets seem to learn from them. But most does not mean all. It can happen to any pullet.

 

[Weetamoo93]

Since your birds are accustomed to free ranging, try locking them up for the morning at least. According to my current reading, "Small Scale Poultry" by Harvey Ussery, chickens have usually laid their eggs by 15:00 (3 pm). Mine occasionally lay later than that, if they're persnickety and don't want the nest box in their mobile run. If you lock them in their coop with a small run til noon perhaps, chances are higher they'll try the boxes. If you have bushes in your yard, you may find yourself having to hunt out nests soon.