[bucketman]

The chucks have laid there first eggs got 2 but its a start.  The chucks have the run of the garden. So will they go back to house to lay or will I have to hunt round the garden.
The eggs
 
rob

[Dizzycow]

They should keep laying in the same place. My ten girls all battle for the same spot, despite my providing lots of comfy options. They growl at each other as they queue to lay.

[jaykay]

Mine free range far and wide but they come back to the nestboxes to lay - in general. I find the occasional egg in the goats' hay baskets 

[SallyintNorth]

Congratulations!  There's nothing so nice as a freshly-laid egg.

Does anyone else find it best to leave an egg or two in the nest to encourage them to lay in the same place again?  Or do people find it leads to egg-eating? 

Our birds are completely free range and we do have to leave a few eggs (and try not to let the birds see us raiding the nest sites, too) and do not seem to get problems with egg eating, but years ago with birds which had a very large grassy run but were constrained to that I did get egg-eating and had to be sure to collect all eggs every day.

[Greenerlife]

My girls have all laid their first egg out and about, but the next ones have all been in the correct place!  They are clearly more intelligent than I gave them credit for, and learn from others!

[princesspiggy]

ur 1st eggs are a lovely suprise. well done.

[ambriel]

It's great to get your first eggs.

Different birds will have different habits, though. For some months one of ours would habitually lay them in some quiet spot of the garden. We didn't spot it initially, of course, but after finding the clutch of twenty or so eggs we cottoned on. She just moved to a new spot.

She seems to have settled down now though, and uses the nestbox like all the others.

[Dizzycow]

Having said that they always lay in the same place, my oldest hen is mad keen on trying to lay in our porch if we leave the door open. She succeeded once, laying on a nice comfy coat,  we usually mover her on before she lays though.

[Rosemary]

Congratulations! They will taste wonderful!

Most of ours lay in the nest boxes - there are 7 nestboxes. They use 4 of them  . Don't know what's wrong with the others.

[jaykay]

Does anyone else find it best to leave an egg or two in the nest to encourage them to lay in the same place again?

you can get pot eggs - best of both worlds  I use them with pullets or a new house.

[ambriel]

Does anyone else find it best to leave an egg or two in the nest to encourage them to lay in the same place again?

you can get pot eggs - best of both worlds  I use them with pullets or a new house.

I bought three rubber eggs off of Ebay. Just a few quid.

[joyofchicks]

Our rubber egg is far too lifelike!  I keep collecting it.    Try old golf balls.  I keep finding them moved from one nest box to the other.  Oh and my resident broody laid eggs in the cat's outdoor bed for weeks!