Where Will They Lay....

[cozycrestmom]

We have been letting our little 16 weekers out ranging since they went out into the coop this spring/summer... We live out in the sticks.. So they have woods and a sizable lawn to wonder...
Now that the time is coming for our first eggs.. Do you think they will lay in their boxes in the coop or will they start laying them outside..?

My Roo has been making ALOT of noise in the last couple of days,, so I'm thinking it may not be much longer...
But, i really do not want to pen them up in a chicken run all day, however, I may have to if they start laying in the woods...
WHAT DO I DOOOOOOO.....

 

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they will lay everywhere, esp. if you don't have a box w/ hay or soft material and a golf ball or something resembling an egg. Start them out w/ good habits and it'll stay that way. jenn

 

[cozycrestmom]

We have about 9 boxes for 11 layers.. I put hay in each box.. I see, in the evening when I go out and shut them in, that a couple of the hens use the boxes to sleep in..
So i know THEY know, that the boxes are there.. I just hope they'll use them..

 

[shesaredroan]

Back when I could free range, my girls would pick their spots. Some would lay in the nest boxes, some didn't.
One of my girls showed up one day with 11 little peeps following her........I hadn't been doing nightly beak counts for a while and didn't realize she wasn't on the roost at night.
Another hen (I learned the hard way) had been laying on some lumber that was stored up in the rafters of the barn. I started pulling down some boards I wanted to use and got a shower of eggs.
It can truly be an egg hunt, only it's not Easter.

 

[cozycrestmom]

Ohh boy... I can see it now...! Thanks for the warnings...lol

 

[booker81]

I've taken to only picking up nest box eggs in the evening, so the girls can learned from the older hens. Usually the first pullet egg is ANYWHERE - in the coop, in the run, I found one today that was right up against their kiddie pool. All of those have been little pullet eggs, as they are laying, more and more are getting in the egg box. They're learning

 

[Lorije1]

mine started laying in a washtub I had filled with shavings from when they were little - they still like getting in there so I keep fresh shavings. They chose it over 3 nest boxes. SOMEbody is laying under my back steps - on the bare, hard red clay. There isn't even soft dirt there, much less grass or leaves!