Oh a speckled Sussex. :rolleyes: That explains everything. I find them to be weird birds. I'm only on my second one of the breed but never again. They aren't my cup of tea personally.
I would continue to block her wants as far as laying. She should eventually go back to the boxes hopefully.
I like the ceramic eggs they sell at the Tractor supply. They have decent weight and look real. I always load my boxes with them when I'm expecting new layers. I put faces on them with a marker so I know which are fake. Sometimes they get scratched out of the boxes and lost in the bedding. They...
Do you keep fake eggs in your nestboxes? A hen wants to feel safe when laying because they are in an extremely vulnerable position during laying, as well as wanting to protect their future offspring. Your hen obviously isn't thinking this but her instincts drive her. Hence the frantic pacing...