Since my BO is broody and I have her in the nest boxes by herself the rest of the girls are laying where ever they want ( I think my broody wouldn't allow anyone in the coop )...I just found a nest under my deck with 4 eggs in it....Now I'm going to have to retrain them to lay in the nest box again!! UGH* chickens!
i don't know if your birds are free range or not, but could you put a couple boxes of some kind out in the run so they can at least have a place of their own? just an idea. i'm concerned about ours becoming broody as well because we don't have any way to move them etc like i've read..... i'm hoping if we get the eggs everyday (we had our 1st yesterday!!!!!) then it will slow that process......?
mine are laying on the coop floor for the same reason, my broody hen is taking up the nest box that they all like to lay in. I have also found 4 eggs in a nest in the corner of our barn which is separate from the coop. I put a box with shavings in it on the floor of the coop near their favorite nest box and a few of them used it today.
Quote:Yes they were right around 20 weeks old...They are free range but I would normally lock them in the coop at night but I locked my mama in there alone while she hatches so she wouldn't be disturbed so really it's my fault...I've locked them up in a different cage starting last night and when I let them out they were running to their egg spot like an egg was about to flop out at any moment. That's when I found the eggs. Quote:Great advice---I'll have to try that thank you!