Hiding their eggs?

[mainemomof2]

We have 17 chickens (3 Bared Rocks, the rest mix of Easter Eggers and Golden Sex Links). We have a coop with an outside run. We also let them free range. We have been having low egg production. Our 10 year old son went under the coop tonight and found over 60 eggs under the coop.

Ideas?

Do we just not let them free range anymore? I am afraid if I board up the bottom of the coop they will hide them another place.

Thanks!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've had that problem before. If you lock them in the coop or coop and run where they have no other choice but to lay in the coop for about a week, you can eventually break them of that habit. It really helps to remove the eggs from that other nest though.

Usually I only have to do this once, but for one specific hen, I had to do it three different times. She eventually learned where to lay.

 

[OHhappychicks]

I am having kinda the same problem. About 2 wks ago we missed one of our hens at shut-in time. Went searching and found her in the barn. Picked her up, she carried on like we were killing her, looked down and she was sitting on 14 eggs. Moved the eggs in and empty coop, put her in with them, but we must have scared her out of her broodiness, as she quit sitting. Yesterday while walking in the yard with my GD, we found 4 banty eggs in a brushpile. Now, most of our chickens free range, but some never go out of the pen. There is a small hole in our electric poultry netting and that is how they go in and out. The bantys NEVER go out, even though they can. But in the last week, we have notice 1 out. I witnessed her today out. Watched to see what she would do. She mad a beeline to the brushpile, poked around for a min or 2, went to the place where the eggs had been. (I brought them in last nite), she scratched a little, then made a beeline back in the pen. She is not showing any signs of broodiness. As a matter of fact, she probably isn't even fertile, as the roo is a lot bigger than she is. I have no banty roos. So I was wondering is the a sign of a broody? By the way, she is a yr old and has always laid in the nest boxes in the coop.