That's a pretty red comb, so that combined with the behaviors does make it sound like laying is going to start sooner rather than later, and was fussing over her options.
If the underside of your deck is open to them, I wouldn't be surprised if you looked down there some day and found a stash...
Without photos, no way to guess if she's close to laying. Are you sure she wasn't dust bathing?
There's ways to show them nest boxes if they don't figure it out on their own, but most layers will if given some time.