If you have any plastic easter eggs laying around, you can put those in the nest. That's what I have in mine, and they lay in the nests. Well, all except the EE's, I dunno what's up with them. Maybe the wonderful colors of the plastic eggs are intimidating to them.
I didn't put any red ones in there though. Sometimes I'll find an egg has been moved into another nest, or thrown on the floor. Every once in awhile one has been opened. I really should go glue them shut. Good thought for tomorrow! Hadn't crossed my mind until I wrote this. But yup, tape or glue the plastic eggs together.
Mine are locked up tight every night. In the morning, around 7am, DH lets them out into the run. I then go out sometime before noon, just depends on when I get up, what I'm doing and what I"m feeling like, and let them out. I collect the eggs that have been layed up until then, refill any waterers, and check their food. Usually I'm out there by 9 am, but like I said, just depends. I have a few that are just starting to lay, and today there was one in the run, and one near the little door that lets them into the run. Smaller pullet eggs. Otherwise, I typically have 2 or 3 3ggs in several nests. Today I got 12 eggs.
Now I have an EE that INSISTS on flying out of the run every single day. 6 ft chain link fencing. Out she goes. I feel like she is laying, but haven't found her nest, or seen an egg!! I've searched, but no luck. We have 10.5 acres, so it could be anywhere. Another EE INSISTS on laying in the basement window well. No matter how many times I chase her out, and put her in the coop, she still comes back and lays in the window well. She only lays every other day.
I hope the rest of the flock is going back into the coop to lay during the day. I haven't found evidence otherwise and I did keep them locked in for two days just to see if more were laying than I thought.
Note to self.... trim wing on EE, and glue eggs together tomorrow!
