Missing eggs!!

[Bow Hunter]

Hello this is my first season for raising chickens. It all has been going very well. I have six hens and no roosters. They all were laying eggs in their nesting boxes and then a couple started laying in this hole under my deck. After I finally found the new nesting spot I was able to start retrieving the eggs from there. Now it's moved again and I'm only yielding 2-3 in my nesting boxes and can not find the new spot. Any ideas or help on either finding the new spot or makeing them use their boxes? I've heard keep them locked up a little longer but I work early and don't want them locked up all day. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

 

[auburn]

Not sure how to find the spot! My girls also will wander off into the woods and lay sometimes, naughty things. Keeping them in two or so days a week seems to have helped. They might not be happy about it, but leaving them inside for a day won't hurt anything, though they'll probably be cranky about it.

You could also try putting fake eggs or golf balls into their laying boxes, it might encourage them to lay there instead.

 

[roostersandhens]

As far as I know there is no way to make them use boxes my girls lay all over!

 

[Bow Hunter]

I was using the fake eggs and started out great. Then my one seemed to be going broody? I take eggs out everyday but would always leave the fake ones in. Then the one I thought was being broody was the first to find we new spot. Sooooo yeah lol. Ill try and keep y'all posted and let ya all know if I figure out some crazy secret. Thank you guys for the impute!

 

[Bow Hunter]

Well for anyone who cares. I did put the the fake eggs back in the coop and left the chickens in their coop a bit longer. Now all six usually lay in there before I let them out and even the one who started the egg laying in the other spot will run into the coop to lay her eggs. No more missing eggs!!

 

[MzPlacedHippie]

Currently trying this too. Boy do I hear a lot of complaining coming from the coop area!

 

[bobbi-j]

Sometimes they just need to be recalibrated. I had two days in a row with zero eggs, so I decided to keep them locked up in their coops (with attached runs) today. So far I have gotten 4, with two more hens on the nests. But I wasn't home to pay attention, so it could have been the feral barn cat getting them, (or some other critter wandering around - our dog died in June and we haven't replaced him yet). I'm going to give it another hour or so today, then let them out and see if anyone makes a mad dash to go deposit an egg somewhere she shouldn't be.

 

[MzPlacedHippie]

Too blame hot for me to go tromping around in the woods with them!