Chickens can't find a spot to lay, will she become egg bound?

[My Three Chicks]

I'm in the process of moving and today their coop was taken away so they didn't have their normal nest box. I had placed a crate with bedding and an egg inside but they didn't want to lay there. One girl laid in the bush. The other ran around frantic for 3 hours and never laid. And now the next 2 days we'll be on the road. (They'll be in doggy crates for transport).

Questions is....If a hen needs to lay but does not, will she become egg bound??

This is my first flock (of 4) and I'm worried about them during this move since I know its a stressful time.

 

[Battlepants]

In my experience, they certainly will have a preferred place to lay an egg, but in the event that they can't get to a "good" spot, that egg is dropping no matter what. My silkie, while she was in our hospital crate, just dropped them wherever in the crate. Then when she moved back into coop, I found one under the ramp. Did the golf ball trick to train her to put them in the nestboxes.

For your situation of being on the road for 2 days, I'd probably just check them over every few hours in the crate in case they dropped one. Not really a big deal, but I think all parties would prefer to avoid the mess of a broken egg.

 

[rosemarythyme]

If they gotta go, they gotta go. If they can't lay the egg in a spot they prefer, they'll just drop them on the ground (or in your case, the crate they're in).

And yes I'd keep an eye out for eggs laid in the crates, hopefully you can remove them before the chickens accidentally stomp on them as they roll around in transit.