Is it crazy to have a second nesting box near the house, where the hens hang out?

[HoopyFrood]

Thanks for all the replies, it seems like it's not unheard of.

It's probably the right thing to do, considering how far I'm asking them to go, to return to the nesting box in the tractor, it is a long way.

Doesn't seem like anyone sees any downside to doing it.

Agreed!

Probably the easiest nest box I've seen is to lay a 5 gallon plastic bucket on its side, then "chock" it so it can't move when the girls get in and out. Throw some bedding in there and voila! If you want to get fancy you can drape a burlap curtain over the front - sometimes (not always) our girls like privacy. Easy peasy!

 

[luckyplucky]

I converted one of our brooders into a 3 nesting box "house" just a few days ago (will paint it as soon as it stops raining) because some Australorps sneaked into it (the entrance was way smaller and not intended for full grown hens) and laid their eggs there instead. So since they were comfortable with that, I figured I would embrace that fact and make it easier for them to do so.
I other words, I don't see any issues with your plans of having additional boxes outside of the main coop. My poultry enamored wife (luckyplucky) took a picture of it yesterday apparently...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/gallery/dsc00989.7899487/

Yes, and the gals lay in both the coop and the nest-box-house-formerly-known-as-brooder

 

[Leigti]

I put a covered cats litter box out in the yard for the chickens to use as a nest box. It usually has a couple eggs in there.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I don't see anything wrong with having one by the house. I had a rode Island red that when I let mine out she would lay in the transon on my pontoon boat. even when the boat was covered she would work her way into the back and lay her egg, and the boat was father away then the laying boxes in there coop. if she was in the coop like on rain days or really cold she would lay in the nest box. but if out I knew to always check the boat for her egg.

I have a gal that does the same thing... lay in the box when weather is terrible, AND hide eggs farther away than the box.

I do worry a bit that it'll spread to the other chickens,

Totally happens! Monkey see, chicken do... why do they always (kids and people too) seem to rub off the bad habits (like fence hopping and nest hiding) instead of the good ones?