[colintinto]

Hi All,

New to the forum, but we've had 2 hens and a cockerel for about a year now and no major problems. We just got 2 new hens, as the other girls are getting a bit old.

They'd stopped laying over the winter, and our growing confidence with them means they now get to roam wherever they want in our garden during the day.

They've now started laying again, except we're getting 1 egg a day in the henhouse nest box if we're lucky. Careful surveillance (?) has shown that they've started laying when they're out and about during the day, however our garden has quite a few wild areas, and we're really struggling to keep track of where they are laying.

We found 10 eggs in a pile next to a tree stump from one of our wee bantam crosses!

We already have a china egg in the nest box, which seemed to help for a wee while, but I think it's just one out the four hens that lays there.

Anyone got any tips?

Colin

[azubah]

My 3 free range around the garden and two of them lay in an old rabbit hutch at the end of the garden, one lays in the official nest area.
If you could provide a suitable shelter where they would feel safe to lay their eggs they would probably find and use it.

[GrannieAnnie]

Some people do't let their chickens out until late morning, which is when most eggs have been laid, but our girls are pretty good, and they are in a large run, so the eggs don't go far when they are laid outside.