Eggs laid on the ground in the woods. Keep or toss??

[Klinsley]

I finally found my girls hiding spot. There is a total of 32 eggs here! They are in a pile of nasty wet leaves under a thorn bush. So my question is 1. Do I throw them away? (That's my first instinct) 2. How can I keep them from going back to that spot?

 

[Mvan42]

So how long do u think they have been laying there. You can take a guess by how many hens you have and how many eggs you get in the coop. How old are your girls.

Are they free range all the time? I would keep them in the coop run for a while with fake eggs in the nest boxes. That way they learn where to lay their eggs.

Imo I would probably toss if I wasn't sure on the age of those eggs.

 

[aart]

I would keep them in the coop run for a while with fake eggs in the nest boxes. That way they learn where to lay their eggs.

Yep, lock em up!
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.

I would not eat eggs that had been wet in the woods.