Do some moulting hens THINK they will lay an egg

[leenie]

Most of my gals have been going through their first moult over the past 4 months. I have two now who are really loosing feathers and head to the nest when it gets dark and seem to think they'll lay an egg. This is new behavior and on occasion they seem to let go a giant poop in place of the egg they think they should lay. Normal? or will this become a problem?

 

[gritsar]

I have girls that are still visiting the nestbox, even though they are molting. It's like it's such a routine to lay an egg they automatically go to the box whether there's an egg or not.
I think your girls going to the box at night may have something to do with being cold due to the lack of feathers. Just a guess. I would discourage it as much as possible. It can become a bad habit, even when they aren't molting. Chickens are creatures of habit and habits can be very hard to break.