Molt recovery?

[welman]

I have 4 RI Reds who seem to have just finished up a molt (moult?). The color of their feathers is becoming brighter and there are just plain more feathers on the girls than on the ground! However, while in process 2 of them started sleeping in the nest box and none of them laid any eggs...it's been 2-3 weeks since our last egg. Will they get out of the nest box? Should I be doing something to "encourage" them to stop sleeping there?

Many thanks for your input!

 

[gritsar]

They should start laying again soon.
I have one girl that decided to start sleeping in the nestbox during her molt and every night I went out and moved her until she remembered that roosts are for sleeping and nestboxes are for egg laying. Took a week to convince her this time.