Hen lays eggs in odd places

[lilje]

I have 5 hens. 4 of them are more than happy to use the nesting boxes. I started off with straw bedding, but none of them would use it, so I changed to newspaper. Success! Except for my australorp. She found a spot under a shed in the yard to lay her eggs. It took me a while to find where she was laying them, but unfortunately when I did find the spot I was unable to retrieve any of the eggs. They were just simply to far under the shed to reach. So I blocked off the bottom of the shed. She was a bit frantic the first day, running all around the shed for quite some time, but she eventually laid an egg in the nesting box. I thought I had solved my problem, but now she is no longer laying eggs in the nesting box and I can't find them anywhere. I did notice she was up inside one of my juniper bushes, but I don't see how she could lay an egg there without it falling to the ground. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can get her to use the nesting box. Also, she doesn't seem to lay eggs every day, but on the day when she is going to lay an egg she gets frantic and bolts around the yard looking for a nesting spot. I'd appreciate any help I can get. Thanks.

 

[HHandbasket]

Perhaps you could set up a nesting box in the yard for her to use? Others may use it, as well, but she seems to be determined to lay out in the yard. I am inexperienced, as well, but it seems to me that if she had a place in the yard she felt safe to lay, that would be her preference. I've seen people use single nesting boxes, milk crates filled with nesting material, even cat litter boxes (never used for litterboxes, of course) filled with nesting material and placed judiciously and discretely somewhere in the yard.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[lilje]

Thanks, my husband actually created a nesting box for her using and old box. We cut a whole large enough for her to get through and put some nesting material in there, along with a golf ball to give her a little hint. She hasn't used it yet, so I guess we should try some different spots.