Hens not Laying in the nesting box!

[ChickenKeep01]

My hens are all laying but i only found that out yesterday when i caught one laying outside the nesting box and near the porch i know its not the first time shes done it because my dog has had eggs in her mouth sometimes i thought she was grabbing them from the coop and we had stopped her but the hen was laying near the porch which is about 50 metres away from the coop

 

[bobbi-j]

That can be a problem with free range hens. Do you have a big enough coop that you can lock them in for a few days? That's what I do when I have to "reset" them to laying in the coop. But I have an attached run, too, so that helps.

 

[amynrichie]

My hens are in reset mode right now. I have been getting 2-3 eggs a day from a dozen hens. I'm sure I have a nest somewhere in the yard with tons of eggs in it. Now that my pullets will be coming into lay, I am limiting their free range time to keep better track of the eggs.

 

[ChickenKeep01]

i have a big coop attached to a bid run its probably 30 square metres. so if i just lock them in there for 2 or 3 days they will start laying in the nesting boxes

 

[aart]

i have a big coop attached to a bid run its probably 30 square metres. so if i just lock them in there for 2 or 3 days they will start laying in the nesting boxes

Yep, and it will help if you put some fake eggs/golf balls in some of the nests.
They may still lay elsewhere, but it's good start.

 

[ChickenKeep01]

Thanks