Hen laying somewhere in the yard

[ClucksAndPeeps]

We have a chicken that we believe is laying somewhere in the yard and we can't find where. Any suggestions on how to get her to lay in the nest box? Thanks!!

 

[chicken-lady13]

I have the same problem with my little bantem hen. She even lays under our vehicles sitting in the drive. She will lay in her nest box if I don't let her out to free range, but I think she really trys to wait till I let her out. I have to go easter egg hunting every other day. Oh well it is kinda fun, trying to figure out where she layed at each time. Here I am trying to think like her and out smart a chicken. Which some times can really be actually kind of difficult sometimes. LOL

 

[Whittni]

Dummy eggs help, the clusters are where they like to lay.

 

[sbhkma]

I had the same problem too. I bought a couple of ceramic eggs and placed one in each nest box. Then I kept the girls in for a couple of days so they HAD to lay in there instead of their secret hiding spot (which I found later in the rose bushes). After a couple of days, I'd let them out after they laid in the nest box. If they didn't lay by around 6pm I'd let them out to free range for a couple of hours. I did this for another 2 days and now they all lay in the nest box except one very persistent speckled sussex that thinks the rose bushes are preferable. So I put a ceramic egg in there to hopefully keep her from finding a new and more reclusive place to lay.