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Welcome to the forum
Glad you are here!
I've solved this problem two different ways. Hopefully you can tell them apart and know which one it is. That can make it easier. In any case, do not leave any eggs in the outside nest. She may teach some others to lay out there.
I've kept the whole flock locked in the coop and run for three days, forcing the hen that was laying on the trailer or the one laying in the trash can to lay her egg in the coop or run and breaking her habit of laying outside. Luckily, they started using the nest boxes. In both cases, I did not know which hen it was so I locked them all in. I would have had to anyway. If I lock one in the coop and run, I'm locking the others out unless they are in there with her. I want the others to have access to the nest boxes too when they want it. I don't want them to learn to lay somewhere else.
For ones that I have caught laying on the floor of the coop, when I see them on their nest on the floor, I lock them in one of the nest boxes until they lay that egg. Usually it is over with in a half hour and they have learned where to lay, but I have had to do it twice for some. One stubborn hen spent three hours one day and two hours the next locked in the nest box but she did finally lay and learn. That's the same hen that spends an hour or more in the nest box every day before she lays anyway.
I am a firm believer that fake eggs help and keep one in each nest all the time. But they do not give absolute guarantees. Sometimes those hens just do what they want.
Good luck. Hope this helps.
I've solved this problem two different ways. Hopefully you can tell them apart and know which one it is. That can make it easier. In any case, do not leave any eggs in the outside nest. She may teach some others to lay out there.
I've kept the whole flock locked in the coop and run for three days, forcing the hen that was laying on the trailer or the one laying in the trash can to lay her egg in the coop or run and breaking her habit of laying outside. Luckily, they started using the nest boxes. In both cases, I did not know which hen it was so I locked them all in. I would have had to anyway. If I lock one in the coop and run, I'm locking the others out unless they are in there with her. I want the others to have access to the nest boxes too when they want it. I don't want them to learn to lay somewhere else.
For ones that I have caught laying on the floor of the coop, when I see them on their nest on the floor, I lock them in one of the nest boxes until they lay that egg. Usually it is over with in a half hour and they have learned where to lay, but I have had to do it twice for some. One stubborn hen spent three hours one day and two hours the next locked in the nest box but she did finally lay and learn. That's the same hen that spends an hour or more in the nest box every day before she lays anyway.
I am a firm believer that fake eggs help and keep one in each nest all the time. But they do not give absolute guarantees. Sometimes those hens just do what they want.
Good luck. Hope this helps.
