Chicken eating sand constantly

[Hasankazmi]

Hi guys, i have bantam cochins. I have an urban setting so they mostly live in their coop which has sand bedding, i also let them out twice a day for grazing and free ranging. One the girls recently started laying eggs. Though she didn’t lay today but has constantly been eating the sand in the floor. I’ll stop her and put her somewhere else and she’ll go running back and dive right into the sand. Her stomach looks full. But she’s still going crazy over the sand. Its night time now and she hasn’t jump up on the perch to roost with her fellow chickens and is still constantly picking up tiny sand grains and eating them. Ive had sand bedding since forever in the run and hay in the coop. This has never been a problem until today. How do i stop her? Should i remove her from the coop and put her somewhere else and let her digest the food thats already inside her big tummy over night. But im scared if she’ll go right back to eating sand the minute i put her back in the coop? They have a fair diet of layer pallets, and wheat/rice/greens/fruits/scrambled eggs/seeds for treat. My best guess is because she’s just started laying eggs, her appetite has gone up but even then eating sand from the bedding non-stop sounds absurd and not natural. Pls help chicken experts!!!!

 

[sourland]

I would provide the flock with grit and oyster shell on the side.

 

[NatJ]

Do they have layer pellets always available?
Oyster shell always available in a separate dish?

If she's hungry, food is the right thing.
If she needs calcium, oyster shell is the right thing.
If she needs grit, then sand might be a reasonable choice for her to make.