is there a way to deter them from laying in a particular place

[FrannyLW]

everything that is screened off is boarded up. (except for the door). The hens (I have 3) were laying in their nesting box (on the top left). Nice and clean with mix of straw and shavings. Easy. But now, they want to lay in the bottom left hand corner. Very hard to get to. I get filthy getting it unless I find my husband and get him to get the eggs. lol.
The bottom is filled with straw, which every day I rake it up hoping that by straightening up they won't want to lay there anymore but no, they create another "nest" area and lay 3 more. Any other method to make them lay upstairs besides blocking that area. Remember this is an older picture from last summer. Boarded up now and the hens are 9 months old and this coop is open and goes into a much larger run.

 

[azygous]

Your problem is a very common one. Hens get it into their heads that an unsuitable spot is going to be the favorite. One hen lays an egg and all follow suit.

Two things you need to do. The first is to block off the unsuitable spot. The next is to confine the hens to the coop where the nest box is so they'll be forced to use it. You may let them out once they lay their eggs for that day.

Keep this up for a week. Then see what they do. You may need to keep the unsuitable nesting spot blocked off for a couple weeks more. Chickens are creatures of habit and it sometimes takes as long as three weeks to get them into a new habit and to forget the old one.

 

[aart]

Any chance the nests have bugs?

Do they roost(sleep) in the nests?
Happens often in these tiny dollhouse coops.

Maybe remove the straw from where they are laying, only have straw in the nests.
A small shrub rake is a good tool to retrieve eggs without crawling.

Current pics, inside and out, would help.

Locking them in the coop really is the best way....do it soon before it gets too hot.

 

[FrannyLW]

Any chance the nests have bugs?

Do they roost(sleep) in the nests?
Happens often in these tiny dollhouse coops.

Maybe remove the straw from where they are laying, only have straw in the nests.
A small shrub rake is a good tool to retrieve eggs without crawling.

Current pics, inside and out, would help.

Locking them in the coop really is the best way....do it soon before it gets too hot.

well they are mid morning layers so I don't want to lock them in the coop. They usually all lay in 1 day but Sunday I got 1 and yesterday (monday) I only got 1, but I got in the nest. This morning at 9 Am I had 1, (on the bottom). I'll see at lunch if I got any. I don't think there are any bugs in the nest area since its still freezing out. I do use a rake to get the eggs, its just annoying. My one hen is very vocal when I get in there, getting annoyed at me for messing up the straw. I think they are pissed I changed their food bowl back to the bin that I used to use so it doesn't get wet from the rain.

 

[chickens really]

Remove the straw from the bottom space. They won't freeze..Use sand.