Young birds do lay in odd places during the first few weeks of their starting to lay. I have quite often found eggs under the perch where they have dropped out overnight and have also found the odd egg in the run. However, once they get the hang of it they will go in the nest boxes.
I use ceramic eggs to entice my hens back to laying when they have had a rest for a few weeks. They usually stop about October, so putting in ceramic eggs in mid December can reward you with fresh eggs for Christmas.