Free Range Laying Hens

[cmom]

Our birds are pastured on about a acre fenced in. I do let them out sometimes but have to watch them as they go into our barn and get into the hay and scratch it all up so I have hay everywhere and they like to get on the shelves and knock things off and poop everywhere. We don't have barn doors so we can drive the tractors through. The pop doors on their coops never get shut but we do have an electric fence so any critter that touches it doesn't come back for more. Our birds all go into the coops nest boxes and lay. I also have golf balls in the nest boxes.

 

[Ole rooster]

My birds roam on my 19 acres, and about 4 of the neighbors. It's all in trees. One thing I've noticed is 90 percent of the laying is in the morning. They all seem to understand that and hang around the coop till everybody finished. Every now and then somebody will come in later to do her thing but when she's done and does the singing thing,

the flock comes in to pick her up and off they go. So far every egg has been in one of the nest.

As far as I know anyhow.

 

[jenkassai]

Quote:
How cute!

Had a very exciting moment this morning! I went into the coop to put the golf balls in the nest. When I went in, my one Dominique (who seems to be the dominant hen) was hanging out by the nest boxes. I decided to sit in there for a bit and watch what happened, wondering if she would go in. I was glad I stayed, because she finally did go in. Then came back out. Then went back in. Then she walked out of the coop for a second. I put the golf ball in the nest box. She came back in, looked in the box and seemed to be VERY puzzled

She made some small, soft noises, and I could almost hear her saying "How the heck did that get there, I only left for a second!". Then she climbed into the box. I could hear her rearranging things, and she finally settled in. I sat there for a bit, not sure how long it takes for them to actually lay. While I waited I got to see my RIR hen wander over to the box and stand there for a long time, I think she was wondering what the Dom was doing in there

After a while I figured since I didn't know how long the Dom would be in there, I'd better get to my other chores. Can't wait to go out later and see if there is an egg in there

I was glad I got to see who went in though, because I was wondering who laid the first egg. I think I have my answer!

 

[Ole rooster]

jen.......I have 8 chickens total. When my first one got interested in the nest and finally went in, everyone of my pullets and Bob the rooster went inside too and just stood there trying to figure what in tarnation the chickens was doing. I think that was good cuz all the rest learned where to go where it urge to push comes on um Ole Bob, he still ain't figured out what's going on. He just nails um when they come out. Maybe that's what's going on instead of just being nice to each other.

 

[johnsons-r-us]

Mine are laying in their boxes now, but I know one was laying under our deck for a while. So far back that I could not get them. One was laying behind a wood pile next to the coop. Didn't see that until several eggs were there. Now for the 2nd day in a row I have all 5 eggs (not all are laying yet) in the nest boxes. In 5 different nest boxes (I have 6 total nest boxes)

I don't use any fake eggs or golf balls. I've only had two in one box a couple of times. Guess mine are not the norm. Oh, and I found a huge nest of eggs on a pile of straw so high up on a shelf in the coop that I could not see it.

 

[JodyJo]

mine free range over a very large area, twice I have had to lock them down, after finding several hidden nests...now all are inside..

They did get locked out the other night, and we found an egg right outside the run door, since they couldn't get in, they did the best they could! It was frozen and cracked, but I
applaud the effort!