nests for free rangers

[brookwoodpat]

I have a coop for my birds, but they have free range of my acre fenced yard during the day. They have just started laying -- I got six eggs today -- I have 3 hens with bright red combs and three as old but the combs aren't so bright red, and 5 16 week old birds that probably aren't laying yet. I think only three are laying so far and I missed noticing the eggs yesterday.


Anyway, for all of you who allow your birds to free range and get all the grass, weedseeds, and bugs they want, do you have a lot of problem with birds choosing nests outside the coop where you can't find them? how do you increase the odds of their laying in the coop?

 

[SGM]

Most of the birds I've free ranged I ended up not setting up nest boxes for them. As a result they nested wherever they wanted. When I have stalls bedded down for my goats to kid, the hens will build a nest in a corner of the stall and lay there. Makes it easy to locate and collect eggs if they're in the goat's stalls.

 

[RebelsHope]

My experience is the same. I have found that the hens choose their place and then almost always lay there. If you figure out where that is you can just collect them from there.

 

[Chickenaddict]

Mine lay in the coop as well as the garage, driveway, gardens,grass ect ect... Yesturday i was cleaning out the coop i have set up in the garage for some special chickens, they loved laying in a bagof pine shavings until i used it up. I threw the plastic bag in the trash and my light brahma crawled into the garbage can trying to make a nest in the plastic bag.Its an easter egg hunt everyday

 

[jacyjones]

My chickens free range and lay in their nest boxes. If I seem to get too few eggs and cannot find a nest on my land I shut them all in the run and shed for the day until they have all laid and that seems to get them back into laying where I want them to!