How to teach a chicken where to lay?

[ChickenGirl165]

I got 6 chickens around a month ago. At first we let them free range. 1 of my chickens secretly found a laying spot, to make it worse, the laying spot was in some bushes with all these spiderweb and bugs and since my backyard has been going through some problems, the back of it is so wet and soggy that the first step you take in it you hear a squishy gross sound. ANd it lays everyday so we have to go there everyday! Then my other 2 chickens started laying behind a rose vine which i think is dangerous for them but it is better because there is a wooden thing to block some of the spikes. Now because of the poo everywhere, We put them in this space which i think is plenty for them but every morning they would flap and go spaz to get out and lay. My mum says that we have to keep them in there so they develop he habit of laying in there and not in places where it is difficult to get their eggs. This morning i hear them squaking and flapping and i cant help feeling bad about myself. When i went out, my super fat chicken had already magically got out. What should i do? ANd yes i have prepared them nice laying boxes. heehee
Any help appreciated!

 

[ChicksterJo]

Did you try putting a couple of golf balls or fake eggs in the nest boxes? I also have to make sure that the nest box is full of pine shavings or my Red Star will freak out and squawk at me. I taught my Delaware to lay in the nest box after I kept finding her eggs on the run floor. I waited til she was about to lay ( I had too much time on my hands) and then I picked her up and put her in the nest box. Magically she knows where she should be laying now. Good luck!

 

[ChickenGirl165]

Hey thanks for replying so quickly. I have indeed forgot about the golf ball technique. I put hay in the box instead of shavings because we dont know where to get some. They should feel comfortable with hay though because they sleep in it. I couldnt put them in this morning because it was raining and i dont they would feel comfortable with me touching it (like always) and it probably would just run out. One of them did go in the box today and looked like it was laying but then one of my other stupid chickens got in an interfered so my other one went out.

xD