Hens laying in yard

[onslaught]

Found my hens have been laying in the yard under a mimosa tree. I will get rid of those as I don’t know how old they are and they are not fertile (no rooster) thinking of confining to the small run (usually have run of large fenced yard) for a week or so.
Will this re-train them to use the nest box? They laid there for a while when they first started laying.
Anything else I should do?
Thanks

 

[thecatumbrella]

I think you have the right idea. Make the nest boxes extra attractive (maybe some new pads, privacy curtains, and ceramic eggs to inspire them), then shut them in the run for at least the first half of the day before free-ranging and hope they take the bait.

But honestly, nothing's going to top laying eggs under a beautiful mimosa tree!

Best of luck!

 

[aart]

Found my hens have been laying in the yard under a mimosa tree. I will get rid of those as I don’t know how old they are and they are not fertile (no rooster) thinking of confining to the small run (usually have run of large fenced yard) for a week or so.
Will this re-train them to use the nest box? They laid there for a while when they first started laying.
Anything else I should do?
Thanks

Yes, confining them can work.
No need to decorate the nests, just make sure there is nothing nasty in the nests, like bugs.

Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop/run for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

A few years back I took in a feral bantam hen and her 1 chick. The chick turned out to be a cockerel. About 1 year later the hen was gone, we thought she had left or been taken by a predator. 3 or 4 weeks later we heard peeping coming from under the house. She had some how gotten under the house and piled up a bunch of eggs in a warm, secure spot and hatched 15 chicks. It was a mess.
And if that wasn't enough, she taught our older hens to lay in hidden places, we would stumble across 2 dozen eggs well hidden.
They all had to be retrained to lay in the laying boxes. We used the above method and it worked very well.
Good luck with retraining your hens.

 

[Sally PB]

What about ONE pullet who lays in the run? I don't free range, but she seems to just drop her egg in the run... for whatever reason. I've seen her check out the nest boxes, and even sit there for a few minutes.

 

[thecatumbrella]

What about ONE pullet who lays in the run? I don't free range, but she seems to just drop her egg in the run... for whatever reason. I've seen her check out the nest boxes, and even sit there for a few minutes.

She doesn't want to miss anything! This is both hysterical and frustrating.

Mimosa nipple drinkers in the nest box?

 

[Sally PB]

She doesn't want to miss anything!

I'm almost hoping for a really cold spell (single digits) so that I can close them in the coop.

But I also have a pullet who lays on the floor in the coop. She has one spot on the floor where she's hollowed out a bowl. If I cover it up, she just moves over a bit.

 

[Red Mangrove]

My dogs eat all the strange eggs that end up on the ground. It's extra protein for them and the chickens really hate when the dogs eat their eggs. This alone usually keeps them laying where I want them to

Maybe in 100 years I can have a symbiotic chicken and dog population

 

[rosemarythyme]

What about ONE pullet who lays in the run? I don't free range, but she seems to just drop her egg in the run... for whatever reason. I've seen her check out the nest boxes, and even sit there for a few minutes.

Might need to rig up a nest box that you can lock her in, to keep her in there until she lays... but that's a lot of hassle since you'd need to figure out her laying frequency and schedule for consistency's sake.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Yes, confining them can work.
No need to decorate the nests, just make sure there is nothing nasty in the nests, like bugs.

Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop/run for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.

I've had to do this too! When we still had Gracie, our little Sheltie, she would sometimes find hidden nests, and bring us the secret eggs, one at a time without breaking them! Then we'd lock up the chickens for a week or so in the run, no free-ranging, to remind them to lay in the nests. Funny, it was always EE that would "lay out" and have to be reminded of their duties.