I have 1 Barred Rock who lays eggs all over my 7 acres.

[mskitn]

What can I do to stop her from doing this. I have found them all over my front yard and today she was out in the field sitting in a nest she had made in the tall grass on an egg I have no idea how old it is. I found egg shells, so she has been doing this for a while and something is eating them. I thought about just leaving them in longer in the morning until they have all laid, of course I found her around 12pm. My fear with that is I have a bantam silkie that if left too long in the vicinity of an egg goes broody! I caught her sitting on a plastic Easter egg and clumps of dirt! Grrrrrr I have to be the worst chicken person EVER! I seem to only have problems. I want my eggs and I'm tired of hunting for them. I have 2 nest boxes for 9 hens, they all fight over 1 of the boxes. Sometimes 4 hens will be sitting on each other and the other box is empty. What should I do? If I use livestock fence around the yard will that keep them from getting into the field? At least then my egg hunt will be in shorter grass. And that will keep my hens out of the field of predators.

 

[Fred's Hens]

This kind of hen needs confinement. She cannot have free run because of this penchant to lay "where ever". She needs to stay in a pen, stall or small run area where she has access to go in an lay in a nest.

 

[rancher hicks]

I had a Marans hen who for a time came into the garage and laid her egg on the mat in front of the kitchen door.

While the rules say 1 next box for every 4 or 5 hens that is not always the case. I suggest more nest boxes in a dark area of the coop. She may be looking for a spot away from the other girls. IMHO. Sometimes hens have to lay that egg at the same time another hen is still in the nest box. I've had hens squawking because there was no room at the Inn.

Also while those plastic egg look cute, they may get cold if you live in a colder clime. I prefer unpainted brown wooden eggs.

I'm also of the OP that keeping wooden/fake eggs in the nest box might induce broodiness. Lord have mercy I had so many go broody last year, if all the eggs had hatched I'd have been run over with chicks.

I wish you well,

Rancher