First year breeder BRs egg management

[beanmcnulty]

Hello all! Just would like some advice on my first year breeders, this is my first time managing them too! I have 2 hens (and a tom) and I am finding 1 egg per day so far for the last 4 days, I have them a nice big dog house nest in their shelter, but they are laying on the ground outside the dog house. If I want them to go broody should I just leave the eggs there on the bare ground? It is still getting cold here and there. Should I put some bedding on the ground where they chose? My thought is to get some fake eggs and replace the real ones as they are laid, just so the eggs are not wasted. I would want to incubate artifically if they won't do it. If one starts to set, then I would put the real ones back, does this all sounds like a good idea??
Thanks!

 

[Scottingitup]

Move the eggs into the dog house, keep doing this for about a week. They should get the hint by then.

 

[ivan3]

Yes, move the eggs. We've done this many times over the past 6yrs. Sometimes, if we're getting all opossums and raccoon in traps we'll let the hens build up the egg count and then move them when they start to get sketchy on returning to shed in the evenings - about to go broody). We completely destroy/cover old nest (sometimes place set trap on location of nest (hen clears the fence in the morning - sees raccoon in trap on nest, uh oh... Hens have always adjusted to their nests in the back corners of the shed. This one had 11 eggs when transfer was made: