Merry Xmas from Downunder (Australia)

Hi, I hope you all have a joyful xmas where ever you are this year I came across this site looking for anwers I couldn't find in my books. I have Ethal ( sussex ) and two hy-Line Brown (commercial strain of Isa Brown) Heckle & Jeckle. H & J are the true layers, Ethal does what she wants! WHICH IS EAT! Now my problem is this, usually H & J lay their eggs in the coop, but sometimes round the backyard for no reason I can think of. Ethal can be bossy, at present she is back to brooding in the Coop. I keep booting her out and making sure she is eating drinking, she even layed eggs these last two days! Is this why H & J moved to lay eggs? And why when I found where they layed for last 2 days have they taken to laying somewhere else? I think that's sneaky because I can't find them and my backyard isn't bigger than 500sq mts! Appreciate your help, smiles Janet

 

Thanks 4 both your replies replies, lovely welcome. I have a standard coop fits 3 chickens easy. I placed it down the narrow side of the house with shade cloth going from high on my brick wall to across the side fence. Thus they get shade in the heat and it's out of the elements. There is also a homemade 1000lt water drum on stilks next to it. They all go under there for dirt baths! My back yard is oblong with a large unused fountain in it and a vegie patch along the side of the garage. Pretty unkempt lawn at moment, so there is long grass. I have been round backyard several times and this time Heckle & Jeckle have me beat! I have looked under, in and around! I have never caught either flying more than 2ft off the ground so don't beleive have flown the fence like Harriet (passed) used to. Harriet only did it because Ethal and Her started out in the front lawn because it was more shaded back then and we had a very hot summer 30's. She would fly over in the morning, layher egg in garden near front door and then fly back over so Ethal wasn't lonely, sweet. Ethal is to fat to fly! I did read if you place a whole black pepper under their tail, they will itch and think they need to lay an egg and then you follow them to hideout. Am thinking to try that tomorrow. Smiles Janet