One of my hens is laying elsewhere....

[ThinkingChickens]

I was SO worried my Delaware was sick. She wasn't laying an egg so I was bringing her treats, giving her extra love, talk to her more and checking her poop and under all her feathers. Turns out the little princess (she's my chicken with attitude) has gone from laying in her box to laying in the yard. I found her two eggs, which were both cracked due to laying on gravel. So, does this just happen sometimes or is this a problem? The walk in run will be completed very soon (within two weeks, hopefully less). I'm assuming that will help solve the problem. She's a newer layer, maybe 3 weeks and she was laying in the coop before.

 

[donrae]

Mine are free range and lay all over the blessed place! My honey just found a nest at the edge of the horse corral, with over two dozen eggs in it. If she's confined, she'll usually lay in the nest boxes. Some folks confine their free rangers to the coop for a week or so, til they get in the habit of laying in a specific place.
I've found if I take all the eggs from a found nest, they lay elsewhere. So, like the above nest, I removed all but four eggs. Those four I marked with a sharpie, so we don't accidently eat them. They'll stay as "markers" for the hens to (hopefully) keep laying in the same place.

 

[poseygrace]

I've wondered about this too, because mine are free range and I suspect they are laying around the yard, but I haven't found the nest. Should I lock them up for a few days so they make a habit of visiting the nest?

 

[prbnewyork]

my hens are doing about the same thing, my father and i have made a nest in their coop, but they were still laying their eggs all over the place. they did not have a nest or anything, wherever they were, is pretty much where they layed them. our solution was to get them a bigger nesting box. now they are laying their eggs in the correct place. as crazy as it sounds, easter egg baskets work great for nesting places. we just cut off the handles of them. hope this helped.
thanks,
paige.

 

[bustermommy]

Quote:
Won't they rot? Or will you replace them after a while?

 

[grauerholzfarm]

I have a one laying ( only about 2 weeks) outside the coop too! She will fly out of the pen... (I don't have it roofed going to when the new one is up) and lay in different places... I've caught her once so I know when she lays so I go out about then and watch where she is and pick up the egg as soon as it gets on the ground. I even got to watch her it once... She let me hold up her tail feathers while she laid one... very neat looking!