What to do with this hen?

[3nglishteacher]

Yep, the 18-in-a-week had us scratchin our heads too. I figure she was stockpiling before she went into hiding. Is there a way to make them lay in the coop? We have 10 nesting boxes so should be plenty to go round. I have one hen who stays completely away from the coop all day and sneaks in at the last minute each night b/c the roosters worry the heck out of her which is why their days are numbered

I'd really like to not have eggs littered thru the woods since it'll draw critters and I prefer them to free range as much as possible. Ticks were non-existent this summer and their yolks are such a lovely deep orange.

 

[MissPrissy]

Quote:
You will need to lock them up and leave them locked up for at least a week or two and train them to lay in the hen house in the nest boxes. Once you establish where you want them to lay they won't forget real easy.

Free ranging is nice but eventually you are going to have some losses. It is not so much the eggs that will draw predators to your place. It is the smell of chicken on the menu. You may do fine for a long stretch but the day is coming when free ranging won't do so fine.

For winter I would make sure they have a closed house and a secured run. Hungry animals will come looking when the temps get cold and the food gets short.