How to make hens use the nesting boxes?

[LegginMF12]

Mine lay in the afternoon . I have 5 acres fully fenced and hate to keep them locked up in the coop all day. Like some one else said "there is only so much searching I am going to do", besides the bushes in the desert have really bad attitude! They all have some kind of thorn and looking in them can get painful at times. Until the 3rd girl started laying, the other 2 who were laying used the nest box whether they were in the coop or roaming the yard. They would go back tot he coop to lay.