Hens laying on ground and not in nesting boxes

[OklaSteve]

I have 14 girls that are 30 weeks old today. I consistently get about 6 eggs a day which considering their age and time of year is not a problem for me.

A few of the girls are using the nesting boxes but several of them are laying eggs in the run. Is there a way to teach them to use the boxes instead of the spot outside? I was thinking about putting a few large rocks where they have been laying to see if that would force them to find someplace new to lay. Hopefully a nesting box.

With the weather getting colder it would be great to not have to go egg hunting daily.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[rosemarythyme]

You can try blocking the area they're using like you mentioned. Do you have fake eggs in the nests to encourage them to use them?

Do you know which birds are the problem ones that aren't laying in the nests?

 

[OklaSteve]

You can try blocking the area they're using like you mentioned. Do you have fake eggs in the nests to encourage them to use them?

Do you know which birds are the problem ones that aren't laying in the nests?

I do have 3 fake eggs in each nesting box. Unfortunately where they have chosen to lay is not someplace I can easily see. So the short answer is no I don’t know which ones are laying outside the coop.

I have also considered just not letting them out of the coop for a few days and see if that might change their laying behavior.

 

[rosemarythyme]

If the coop is big enough and ventilated enough (less of an issue now that we're out of summer) it should be fine to lock them in a few days.