Will they know to lay in the coop?

[Wizbop]

Howdy chicken friends! My girls are 17 weeks old and they free range in our backyard. My question is, are they going to know to get in the coop/nesting box to lay their eggs or do I need to force some coop time around the time when they should start laying (18-20 weeks)?

 

[SallyF]

Some people put fake eggs or golf balls in the nest to make them think of the nest box as a place to lay eggs. If they free range, they could lay anywhere, so my guess would be that when laying begins, you might want to keep them cooped until the idea sinks in!