laying eggs in odd places

Hi all,
my newest girl who is only about 21 wks has begun laying huge eggs (in the last few days only).  I am so pleased, she is a star!  Anyway, I have two problems which I hope you can help with
1.  She refuses to go in the coop with the rest of the girls (no bullying)  but lies on the lane and waits until I get too stressed and have to go and pick her up.   When she sees me, she stands up and waits to be lifted.  I then place her in the run and she heads off to bed so I can lock up.  The issue is we have a lot of badgers and my neighbour lost all of her girls the other night when she forgot to lock them up.
2.  The lovely eggs are also laid in the lane.  She seems to have made a nest for herself, although today she laid the egg in a different place.  I have made a different bed in the run (and put a golf ball there  to show her), thinking that if she could at least lay there it wouldn't be so bad, but it hasn't worked.
Sorry to go on, but any advice welcome - will not be offended if you tell me I have done something/everything wrong
Thanks

We found a dozen or so behind the log burner which had been stored away for the winter but those hens never laid in the nest box, if they laid in the coop it was always in a corner and then they buried the eggs so we had to dig them out

The big hens we have now free range so we've had eggs on the compost heaps, under the poots coop, in the log pile and a nest they built in a tree, but as soon as we fined their hidey hole the stop laying there and go back to the nest box for a while to lull us into a false sence of security

The poots and bantams lay in their coop but like to use the 4 nest boxes in turn oh yes and today behind the log in the coop corner, it's a bit like an easter egg hunt every day, wee Evie loves it

That sounds like Chicken: 1, Human: nil

Is she waiting in the lane in order to get attention? And if so, can you meet that need by hand-feeding treats in a place you'd prefer - outside your back door or in the run?

"Little finger" and "wound round" spring to mind - you and the rest of us!

hi,
i had the exact same problem but what i did is shut them all up in their cope for about a week and put some fake eggs in the nestbox so they know where to lay!... hope this helps

I have to do an egg run with mine,i usually find 4-5 in the coop,then i go to the tack shed where the silkie lays hers after that its into the hay barn and i have two in different spots laying there,ive also found them in the tool shed.

Well that did make me laugh!  Gladly I only have one naughty girl, although even that does keep me on my toes as I am never sure if she has laid an egg or not!