Free ranging and eggs

[KayElle]

Hi! I just started free ranging my flock. We had just started getting eggs slowly but surely from two chickens about a month ago. Every now and then well go a day without an egg, but now that they are free ranging do I have to worry about the ones that will start laying first eggs to lay outside of the coop?? I didn't get eggs yesterday and am wondering if my laying hens laid in my yard (haven't found evidence of such yet). And what should I do about it? Is there a way to keep tem laying in the nests?

 

[SD Bird Lady]

Once they are used to the nest boxes most times they will go back there to lay. If you find they start laying else where keep them penned for a week and they will usually be "trained". I used to keep mine penned until about 2:00 then turn them out. By then most of them had laid. Now they come & go all day and I have only found a way-ward egg once in the past 9 months.

 

[KayElle]

Ok thank you!! I'm patiently waiting for some more chickens to start laying.... Im hearing more egg songs but haven't seen any extra eggs yet

 

[chfite]

My chickens forage all day, but return to the nesting boxes to lay.

Chris