Free range, eggs missing!

[Coupon Cook]

Sigh. I've been letting my chickens free range exclusively for 2 weeks now. We have a fenced one acre with some brush and high piles of oak leaves near their pen. Before, we let them out every few days to free range. We had a chicken die in the pen and I wanted them to "air out" in hopes that it wouldn't be catching. So far the other 3 are healthy. For 2 days now I've gotten no eggs. I think they may be laying somewhere else. The search is on in the more dense brush to find the eggs. I think I'm going to pen them for about a week and let them get reacquainted with the nesting boxes. I want them laying in the pen, is there any other method you know of to force them back to laying in their boxes? Its not like these chickens to skip laying days. I also do not want to encourage preditors. We live on the edge of woods near a lake. So snakes and other vermin may want an egg, or for that matter a chicken wing too.

 

[foulplay]

I agree to locking them up for a couple days, maybe try a fake egg in the nest boxes so that they now it is safe to lay there. Good luck.

 

[SnowPeeOstrichU]

Agreed.

 

[Rikki]

I once found a stash of eggs in the open-air compost bin. Another laid her first egg in a dust bath hollow she'd made under one of the lilac bushes. They find some pretty interesting places to lay.

 

[SnowPeeOstrichU]

Impressive

 

[foulplay]

found some eggs upstairs in our bank barn on the top of a round bale very big nest for such a small bird

 

[Judy]

Now that's cute!

 

[SnowPeeOstrichU]

LOL!

Plz take 1 sec to vote on what chick I should get in September! https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/694755/what-breed#post_9420793

 

[OahuChickenLady]

Do you lock them in at night? I usually don't let my chickens out in the morning until they have laid their eggs. Then they free range all day until I put them in their coop at night. I has worked so far.

 

[foulplay]

Do you lock them in at night? I usually don't let my chickens out in the morning until they have laid their eggs. Then they free range all day until I put them in their coop at night. I has worked so far.

what time would it be when you let them out in the morning? Mine seem to lay up to 9:30 and I let mine out at 6:00