Letting my chickens free range for a week backfired in a weird way

So I finally fenced off a decent chunk of my yard last month. Figured I'd let the girls out of the run for a whole week to see if they'd eat more bugs and less feed. First three days were great. Less scratching around the coop. Then on day four I found four eggs buried in a pile of leaves under a bush. Not in the nesting boxes. Not even close. By the end of the week I was finding eggs in the flower beds, behind the shed, and one inside an old tire. I spent more time hunting for eggs than I saved on feed. Now I'm back to keeping them in the run most days. Has anyone else had their chickens just decide to hide eggs everywhere once they get some freedom? Is there a way to stop it or do you just accept the treasure hunt?

2 comments

2 Comments

ellis.robert1mo ago

Wait, inside an old tire? How did you even find that one?

skyler_adams1mo ago

@ellis.robert Right? That's the kind of stuff you find after a big storm or when someone's been dumping trash for years. Probably had a whole ecosystem in there.