I found their STASH!

[Leah-yes I know I'm crazy]

Amysue- I didn't mind him having the eggs...it was the inability to track my production that drives me crazy. I have about 40 birds now....golden commet disappeared for a few weeks and came back with chicks....drop offs...etc...and I might only find six eggs sometimes. Drives me bonkers.
My neighbor is a farmer. In the chicken world that is name dropping right? I get my oats, corn, straw, hay, and a huge variety of veggies not good enough for market for free or cost at most. I am really really lucky. The birds are all pets who happen to leave eggs laying around....we use them, or take them to the foodbank. The food bank gives me whatever they get donated that is not fit for consumption (farina that has gone buggy and such).
I do let my 7yr old son "sell" 2 doz/wk for $2 in exchange for helping with the girls.
Like I said, I'm lucky.

 

[Dash Riprock]

We just had 2 dom'd and 1 RIR make a wallow under some shrubbs beside the house. They are 2 days new to us. Needless to say I will be keeping my eye out for their stashing place. Wish us luck and good luc to you.

Dash

 

[ruth]

Quote:
this is my method too except i only leave one.

Ditto. They always seem to have a back up hiding spot too!

There's something about wanting to lay in a nest where someone else has already laid an egg. They do the same thing in the hen house. They will all lay in whatever nest gets the first egg that morning, then the rest line up to lay in same box. Out of 12 boxes, one will have a dozen eggs in it and the rest only 1 or 2 and it's not always the same box. I've tested this theory by actually starting the day by putting an egg in an empty box. They actually come over, check it out, and start trying to get in box all at same time. Then you'll get one of the older hens refusing to get out of box so another older hen might climb on top of her and stay there while the younger girls are forced to use another box or just "hold it" as long as they can. I've found eggs on ground in front of "the nest" and know it's because they just couldn't hold it any longer and laid right there in front of nest box instead of using another one.

They are funny and amazing creatures.

 

[Leah-yes I know I'm crazy]

Hey, Ruth, I was just looking at your coop. You mentioned that the door was kind of heavy. You might try using (if you have a junkyard nearby) the kind of springy things that hold up hatchbacks. The ones that look like tubes with rods that are in the middle that extend. That would help with the weight and keep it from slamming down too fast. Might even be able to find a set on an old truck topper. Just a rambling thought.