Laying in the wrong places

[Miss Lydia]

I have some hens that are game/bantam they free range during the day and I have a feeling they are laying some place other than their nest boxes. My bantams use the nest boxes. I was wondering if I kept them in longer in the morning if maybe they would get the idea out of their minds that the woods is the place to lay? Maybe keep them in till around 9 a.m. instead of letting them out between 7 to 7:30, Thanks for any advice

 

[Chick'nlove]

I have had a few days where some of the 13 I have layed in the same wrong place, but not all chose to do this. One day, there were seven eggs in a lily frond clump, nice "nest." Today I had two eggs in a puddle on a concrete "deck." Odd with the concrete, for sure. After the seven egg day, I kept them in the coop until noon, and didn't have any stray eggs for around two weeks. Tomorrow, again, they will have to stay in the coop/run until afternoon. My hens are pets to me, and I hate to disappoint them, but broken eggs are a bad way to begin bad behavior (hens eating them, predators finding them, etc.). I guess it's like tough love. Keep them in the coop. One member keeps hers inside until 5pm and has free-ranging, happy hens until dusk. Good luck!