Free Range Concerns

[KSCagent99]

I want to free range my six hens and one rooster. The hens are use to free ranging because the lady I got them from free ranged. I have a lot of brush, trees, rocks around the run/coop that they like to hide in. My concern is that if they free range, will they go back to coop to lay eggs or will I be losing eggs in the brush? They are young hens and while in coop/run, they are providing about two eggs a day in the winter. I don't think all of them are laying yet.

 

[Yardfulla poopers]

Mine only laid in the bushes when they were first starting to lay. After putting golf balls in the nests in the coop, they went to laying there regularly. They free range on 15 acres and now even the babies hatched this year go straight to the coop and skipped the newbie stuff.

 

[Isadora]

I want to free range my six hens and one rooster. The hens are use to free ranging because the lady I got them from free ranged. I have a lot of brush, trees, rocks around the run/coop that they like to hide in. My concern is that if they free range, will they go back to coop to lay eggs or will I be losing eggs in the brush? They are young hens and while in coop/run, they are providing about two eggs a day in the winter. I don't think all of them are laying yet.

If they currently lay coops in the eggs, they will most likely continue to do so.
You could also wait till later in the day to let them out. In my experience, almost all my girls lay eggs in the morning.

 

[SueT]

Keep them in coop until they all get used to laying in the nests. This may take a couple months until they are all laying. But it will be worth it because they will almost always return to lay in those nests.

 

[Ridgerunner]

if they free range, will they go back to coop to lay eggs or will I be losing eggs in the brush?

Maybe. You are dealing with living animals so no one can give you any guarantees. Sorry but that's just the way it is.

If they are used to laying in a nest they will return from a long way away when it's time to lay that egg. You have that working in your favor. But it is also possible that one will just decide one day to make a nest somewhere else. I don't know why that happens and it is relatively rare but it can happen. Usually they are really good about returning to the nest to lay.

When a pullet first starts to lay most have control over that process. About a week before they start to lay they look for a good place to lay the egg when is does come. If I have hens already laying most seem to learn from them and lay in the same nests, not just one of your nest. Having other pullets or hens laying in the nests is a plus. But each has their own personality and does whatever they want. Most still lay in one of the nests, just not the one the older hens are using. Along with this I think the fake eggs often work. I suggest you have a fake egg in every nest.

Occasionally you get a pullet that does not expect that first egg. It seems to take them by surprise. They may drop that egg from the roosts or just walking around. Most of these gain control of the egg laying process pretty quickly but some take longer. When they gain control most of these lay in the nests. But sometimes they consider where they accidentally dropped an egg to be a good place to lay, sort of like the fake egg. Again, this is pretty rare but it can happen.

That's why I say maybe. Most of the time you will be OK, especially if they sleep in the coop. But each one is an individual with their own personality. Occasionally you get one that doesn't follow the norm.