Laying from a roost?

[gaspony]

Good Morning! I have six red sex linked hens... They are about 22-26week olds and have been laying almost an egg a day for three weeks in their nesting boxes. About two weeks ago on of the hens started laying from the top roost. It is about 6 feet off the ground and all six ladies will sleep there at night. So almost every morning I find an egg laying on the ground, broken. Or find the egg on the top of their nesting house (which is under the roost). For the past two days, however the egg laying has gotten strange. I have found more eggs out on the ground in their run. Today, only one egg was in the nesting box. Three were laying out in front of their nesting house on the ground and two of those were broken. One looked like it had been dropped and one looked like it might have been pecked. The weather has been horrible here with strong rain storms all week long and I have had to have the hens cooped up more than they are used to. They usually free range from 8am - sunset... The eggs, themselves, have mostly been normal. We have gotten three double yolkers and 1 no yolker in the past couple weeks as well. All of the shells are strong.

So my questions are: 1. How do you break a hen from laying from the roost. 2. Why are more eggs ending up on the ground outside the nesting house?

Attached are pictures of the coop incase that will help. Thank you so much!



(there is actually another box support under the last two nesting boxes now andI have remove the cover lids as it seemed the hens wouldn't go in to the boxes with it on them)

 

[chickenk8]

Ahh!! Searching for an answer for this problem as well!

 

[Messipaw]

Are your nesting boxes dark enough? Mine prefer the darkest nest. Also do you have decoy eggs in the nest box?