Free ranging egg layers

[madmantrapper]

How do I know that the chickens will lay eggs in the coop instead of under a bush somewhere when they are free ranging? Do they automaticly know they are suppose to use the nest box?

 

[stuckinthecity]

Ive heard of people saying that they lay everywhere but the nest box when u free range them.

Mine have always laid in there nest boxes though, because I keep them in their house/run for a long time before I free range. It kinda trains them on where to lay. And A good way to start is letting them out after they lay, noon to 2:00pm

 

[madmantrapper]

Good idea, now I'll have to build a run.

 

[polenslager]

My hens free range. They go back to the house to use the nest boxes to lay. Well most of the time.
I dont always get an egg a day from them all. So Im not sure if that in itself is normal or if they are sometimes laying elsewere.

Last spring, they were just doing well laying when we let them out to free range. Then of course all winter they were in the house, not outside. This spring they were back to being let out each morning around ten or so and out all day till they
go back to roost at night. Then we close the door and "lock" them in.

So... it may be different for each hen or type of chicken. Not sure.. we are new to chickens.. well a year and a half of having them but we still are "new"!

 

[CallyB57]

Quote:
Are you saying that the hens lay eggs before 2:00? I know they don't lay them at night while roosting, but I was wondering if they laid eggs early in the a.m. - I work all day and when I get home, there is an egg in the nest, so I was thinking I might get my roommate to check the nesting boxes 3 times a day to see if the time they laid could be figured out. Thanks for any info you can provide.

 

[debbie.h]

I have free ranged my chickens since I got them (Aug. 08). I've only had three eggs laid outside. I let them out just before sunrise and "lock" them in at night.

 

[CallyB57]

Here is a very interesting article about the 'hen laying an egg' process. I didn't know how a hen could lay an egg a day for many days, then sit on them after all were laid and then they all hatch at the same time. Here is the answer if you are wondering about that.

http://www.afn.org/~poultry/egghen.htm

 

[txchickie]

Ours all free range. My older hens that are just over a year old all use the nest boxes religiously, but for the first several months of their life they were locked in the coop at night. Now they all go to the trees at night, but still return to the coop to lay eggs.
My younger pullets are just starting to lay and I've found eggs on the porch, behind the garage, etc....I think I need to put them all in the coop for a few weeks until they figure it out.

 

[cmom]

My birds free range. I never shut their pop doors in the coops, but I have a fenced in yard with electric wire outside of the regular fence for keeping predators out. Mine lay in their nest boxes. I put a golf ball in each box. Some people use fake eggs. Sometimes they like to try and hide the eggs in the nest boxes.

 

[Charlene]

Mine are 100% free range, even at night. They were in a horse stall until they were 3 months or so. When they started laying they just went back into the stall, where there was some hay stacked up and put the eggs on top of the hay. Since the stack eventually disappears, they eventually decided the nest boxes I put in the stall were better than the hay. I have found only one egg outside, last year when they first started laying. I swear they were all standing around it berating the hen that did it (Why did you do that??? It's not in a good place!!! We don't have hands, how can we move it???).

With that said I have more pullets coming up this year and am pretty curious if they will follow the example set by the older hens or not...

I think they like somewhere "safe" covered, nest-like. I also put fake eggs in my nests.