Help with where to lay

[Nuggschick]

I have 3 isa browns. 2 are now laying. One of them lays mid morning in their coop nesting box and the other we just discovered started laying mid afternoon. My issue is, I let them out of their coop before lunch to free range till bed time, in a totally separate fenced area of our paddock to where their coop is. The afternoon layer started laying yesterday and we discovered her egg in the middle of the grass fenced area where they roam thru the day. What do you all do when you have a layer that isn’t near their usual nesting box/coop during the time they lay?

 

[Debbie292d]

I have 3 isa browns. 2 are now laying. One of them lays mid morning in their coop nesting box and the other we just discovered started laying mid afternoon. My issue is, I let them out of their coop before lunch to free range till bed time, in a totally separate fenced area of our paddock to where their coop is. The afternoon layer started laying yesterday and we discovered her egg in the middle of the grass fenced area where they roam thru the day. What do you all do when you have a layer that isn’t near their usual nesting box/coop during the time they lay?

We can't change when chickens lay eggs, that I know of anyway, so I'd just put a nest box in their fenced area for her. It's a pain for you if you had 20 chickens and just one does this, but it's the only thing I can think of.

 

[tlcmurphy]

Put fake eggs or golf balls in the nest boxes so she knows where she should lay. She’ll get the idea eventually

 

[rosemarythyme]

To make sure I understand... the fenced area they're in in the afternoon offers no coop access? If that's the case you either need to provide a nest box in the area or give them a way to get back to the coop. While most eggs are laid in the morning they can lay in the afternoon or early evening as well.

 

[aart]

I have 3 isa browns. 2 are now laying. One of them lays mid morning in their coop nesting box and the other we just discovered started laying mid afternoon. My issue is, I let them out of their coop before lunch to free range till bed time, in a totally separate fenced area of our paddock to where their coop is. The afternoon layer started laying yesterday and we discovered her egg in the middle of the grass fenced area where they roam thru the day. What do you all do when you have a layer that isn’t near their usual nesting box/coop during the time they lay?

Do you have a run too?
Easiest(maybe only) thing to do would be keep them(especially new layers) confined until they are regularly using the nests.

 

[Debbie292d]

Do you have a run too?
Easiest(maybe only) thing to do would be keep them(especially new layers) confined until they are regularly using the nests.

So then you CAN change the time they lay perhaps that way? That's the issue as OP's others all lay in the morning, then they get moved to the run, and the slacker lays in the afternoon, in the grass. Maybe if she was penned in the coop, she'd understand sooner or later she's got to lay that egg and she can leave?

 

[aart]

So then you CAN change the time they lay perhaps that way? That's the issue as OP's others all lay in the morning, then they get moved to the run, and the slacker lays in the afternoon, in the grass. Maybe if she was penned in the coop, she'd understand sooner or later she's got to lay that egg and she can leave?

No, it doesn't change when, just where.
Get them in the habit of using the nest and they will come back from where ever to use the nest.

 

[Debbie292d]

No, it doesn't change when, just where.
Get them in the habit of using the nest and they will come back from where ever to use the nest.

Ahh, okay. Thanks. The OP's pen is apart from the coop, so this particular hen cannot get back to the coop when she finally feels like laying the egg. My only idea was to put a nest in the run, then.

 

[aart]

The OP's pen is apart from the coop, so this particular hen cannot get back to the coop when she finally feels like laying the egg. My only idea was to put a nest in the run, then.

in a totally separate fenced area of our paddock to where their coop is.

I guess I missed that the layers don't have access to the coop/nests during the day.
Not a good idea, IMO.

@Nuggschick how far away is the 'range' area from the coop?