One of my girls started laying! But... today, it was in the middle of the yard.. help!

[jossome]

Ok, so about a week ago one of my girls started laying! Her first 4 eggs were in one of the nesting boxes I put in their coop! Today, she laid one right in the middle of the yard... which my dog found before me.

Is this fixable? Or is this life with chickens?

 

[sourland]

She is still figuring out what is going on. Accidents will be less and less frequent.

 

[jossome]

Cool! Thank you

In the mean time, is there anything I can do to encourage her to not lay in the yard, but in her box?

 

[Kyzmette]

Shut her in the box during the sunny part of the day with some feed and water. Once she lays an egg in there, let her go about her merry way, and she should go back to lay in the box later. Just be sure to let her out to roost in the evening, because you don't want her roosting in the nesting box. Once twilight hits, she shouldn't be laying.

 

[lazy gardener]

Does she have any fake eggs in her nest box? You can use golf balls, wooden eggs, fake easter eggs weighted down with something inside.

 

[jossome]

Yeah, I put a golf ball in one of the boxes... and it worked for the first few days, but now she just lays wherever she wants... its been a week and a half of laying wherever she feels like. Now a second one started laying, and she follows the first around and lays where she laid.

It's ok... they're "hiding spots" are pretty much the same 3 spots over and over

 

[aart]

I keep a couple golf balls in every nest at all times.
Keep them locked up in the coop for a week or so, or at least until noon everyday..they usually lay in the mornings.