Isa brown chooks laying on their perch and training the others to aswel

[perchlayers]

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Hi guys,
About a month ago I got 6 point of lay ISA Brown pullets. They have settled in nicely to the chicken house and their little run up the back of the property. They also get free range of the whole backyard during the day.
About 2 weeks ago the first hen laid her first egg. We found it on the ground below the highest perch and it was broken so we worked out she had laid it whilst on the perch. The same thing has happened each day we go out and there is an egg on the ground below the highest perch.
My routine is to go and let them out of their chicken house when I get up of a morning which is around 730 or 8 a.m. they get let out of the house and remain in there fenced off area until around 10 a.m. then they get full run of the backyard which is quite large.
When I initially let them out first thing there are no eggs but when I go back around 10 a.m. there is an egg and sometimes 2 now that a second has started laying.
One day I stood back and observed them... they couldn't see me watching. 1 chicken started clucking and doing a crazy chicken dance going cluck cluck cluck a lot and pacing in and out of the chicken house, she was the only one doing it while the rest were just doing their own thing except for one she was following the clucking but not clucking herself. Together they finally stayed in the chicken house and flew up to the perch. That's when I left but not long after I came back and there was an egg on the ground. It was as though the second chicken was following the first chicken for moral support or something lol.
Now I'm assuming that chicken that was following the first one is also laying her eggs now and doing so from The Perch! I've read some tips from this site for example putting golf balls into the nesting boxes but so far that hasn't helped. There are two options for nesting boxes in the chicken house the first option is on the ground in a straw lined box the second option is about a foot off the ground there are two nesting boxes boxes lined with straw.
I have seen a really good idea where someone put a rack at the perch where the chooks are laying and so the poop can still go through. I've thought about removing the highest perch where they lay from or just lowering it so it's closer to the ground.
I've attached a few photos of my setup but I'm not sure if they've all attached or not, any advice or ideas on how to get them laying in their nesting boxes would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[donrae]

You can try blocking off the perch when you let them out for the day.

 

[junebuggena]

Sometimes it takes them a while to figure out egg laying. Remember it's new to them, and they don't have any adult hens to learn from. The urge to lay can take them by surprise and they will drop an egg from the roost. It's normal, and all part of the process. They will eventually get the hang of things and stop laying from the roost, but it may take them a few weeks.

 

[perchlayers]

ok yea i also figured it may just plain take time, like you say, they're still learning

these are the nesting boxes off the ground

 

[perchlayers]

egg on the ground below the highest perch

 

[perchlayers]

corner nesting box

 

[perchlayers]

chicken run at the back of property

 

[limited25]

I don't know, I was always taught that hens like a dark nesting box. Can you try putting a piece of cardboard over the top of the 2nd nesting box and moving it to a corner where it is not so sunny? Worth a try!

 

[aart]

Agrees.... a lid and/or as least out of the sun for the floor nest. Tho many birds do lay in open topped nests without a problem.
I'm curious is the nest on the table tip at all when they stand on the edge of them, if they are not stable it may scare the birds away from them.
They like to lay where they feel safe......they might not feel safe in the nests, but do on the roosts.