Can pullets go broody after less than a week of laying??

[meisum]

I have a 19-week old speckled sussex who has been laying for less than a week (4 eggs total). For the last two eggs she's been hanging out in the nest box after she finished laying and leaving only when I shoo her out. Both times I saw her starting the process and came back to collect the egg over an hour later (I got distracted) and she was still there! Is it possible she's already gone broody before her eggs have even normalized?? This is my first time raising chickens and I definitely didn't expect this in all my reading!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I have a 19-week old speckled sussex who has been laying for less than a week (4 eggs total). For the last two eggs she's been hanging out in the nest box after she finished laying and leaving only when I shoo her out. Both times I saw her starting the process and came back to collect the egg over an hour later (I got distracted) and she was still there! Is it possible she's already gone broody before her eggs have even normalized?? This is my first time raising chickens and I definitely didn't expect this in all my reading!

It is more likely she was just taking a little relaxation post lay - the recovery period can vary from one bird to another, some just stand there for a bit, others like to hang around for a good while and might as well settle back in and be comfy while they do it.

 

[meisum]

I had no idea! It does seem to take her a while to get the egg out each time, a good 15-30 minutes. Does it typically take this long or does it get easier for them as they get older? Should I just leave her be in the nest as long as she wants afterward to recover? I feel bad for shooing her out now. She seemed to be just fine once she got out of the box, going straight for food or water or just to chat with the other girls.

 

[Peeps61]

I just leave mine alone until they are finished. It can take up to an hour or more for some hens to lay their eggs. They also all like to be in the same box, so I've actually had three stacked in on top of each other laying at the same time! THAT is a funny sight! The hens that are lower on the pecking order will lay in the other boxes if the preferred box is not available to them. If they want to hang around in the box for a while, I let them. Now, if I need to collect the eggs because I am leaving or can't do it later, I will shoo the hens that know will peck at me off the nest. If I know they won't, I'll reach under them and get the eggs and leave them on the nest. If the hens that peck need to return to finish laying, they will.