Need help with my Free Range Chickens- Where are my Eggs?

[chickmama320]

I found the eggs or a least one nest of eggs... I wouldn't be surprised if I find more as I weed eat some more of the over grown "garden."

 

[Uppity Peon]

This is the closest thing I have to a nest box so far. And it works!

 

[jafo]

They like a darkened area to lay, and besides that, they should have a safe place to get into at night. A few pieces of board and a handful of nails is all it takes,,,,,,,build 'em a coop!!!!!!!

 

[Uppity Peon]

I'm going to take my coffee out into the back yard right now. I'm going to watch the girls as they come out of the coop. I am a little suspicious there may be an unauthorized nest somewhere.

 

[buck431397]

try putting a golf ball or two in the places you want them to lay, and keep taking the eggs out of the places that you find, if you dont want them to lay there.

 

[Uppity Peon]

I didn't catch any real hidden nests, but I did find one egg! I was moving some pallets. Apparently she laid an egg while resting on a pallet and it rolled between the boards. It was cracked.

 

[Biddylover]

It is possible something is getting your precious eggs

I definately agree with the previous posters your flock needs to be inside something safe at night. I too have a good perimeter but at night my whole heard goes in the hen house and even that isn't 100% predator proof. I'm having issues with a rat occasionally digging up from below rofl he stole a golf ball last month

We built our coop out of scrap wood, not too shabby looking after I painted it. Good luck and keep those birds safe

 

[Uppity Peon]

As I was coiling up the hose in my front yard I heard squawking in the back yard. Thinking it might be a chicken laying an egg I went back and found all the chickens by the east fence scratching through the tall grass, looking at eachother and trying to look innocent. I scanned around and saw no egg and no chicken sitting as if to hide something. The chickens continued scratching. So I finished coiling the hose, hauled it around to the back yard in preparation for the fall burn. After laying out the hose to make sure it would reach the burn pile I went back to the tall grass by the east fence. Suddenly I saw a little RIR pop out of a hole in the grass right by the fence.

AHA!!! I looked down the little tunnel and found one fresh egg! Today is my first 3 egg day! (4 if you count the broken one under the pallet, but that one might have been days old.) Now I just have to cut down all that tall grass. It'a too bumpy over there for the mower.

 

[barredrockmama]

My chickens like to lay under the blackberry brambles in my yard. They'll find any place they can if it seems safe. Check out any bushes in your yard.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I have 6 foot chain link and wooden fences all around my property too and my girls free range from morning to night. But they ALWAYS lay eggs in thier little hen house where they are locked up at night. Bieng surrounded by suburbia you would think that no racoons or such would be around to worry about but its SO not true. We had a giant racoon right on our front door step a few months ago, first time I had ever seen one here in 10years. The only reason I still have chickens that are alive is the hen house. If you look at my dog house design page, we built it for less than 50bucks. You truly can craft a safe place with no money, there are so many great zero cost ideas right here on BYC. One lady actually repurposed an old trampoline! We started our coop with free pallets and I'm not beyond dumpster diving, especially behind thrift stores..... You'll be so thankful that you did it, peace of mind for you, safety for them and no more scrounging around for eggs. They go in it on thier own, you shut them in there at night and them let them out in the morning, just like when you let the dogs out. I leave my dog out at night for even more protection for them unless its to cold. I'm not letting that racoon put an end to my sweet deal with 6 eggs/day and fun chickens......