A little over two weeks ago there was a bomb scare on my street (a strange tale not involving my household, thank goodness). I came home to find the bomb squad in my backyard preparing to detonate a suspicious item that had been discarded there by an intruder. The kids and I had to go to a neighbor's house, and there was no time to remove our 6 chickens to a quieter place. Two big explosions later, we were allowed back home. The chickens seemed perfectly like themselves for a week or so, but then started laying erratically. At least two haven't laid at all for several days. If chickens are terribly startled or stressed by an event, would there be delay of ten days or so before it noticeably affects laying? The eggs we do get are fairly normal, although there was one very freaky elongated egg recently. For the record, my chickens are 2 years old, of various breeds, and in ostensibly good health. They've been eating, drinking, and sleeping normally.
I think that once the eggs are mostly formed, they'll come out, regardless of stress. However, new egg production would shut down for a while. So, I'm betting they completed the eggs they were working on, and now you won't see eggs for 4-6 weeks. My only personal experience with this is when I bought an adult hen, and had to drive over an hour with her in a box in the car. She laid for a week or so, and then stopped for a month.
Thanks so much for your responses (and for the welcome, ghillie!). The time lapse explanation makes sense, PrincessChicken, and it's reassuring that you experienced something like that too. I'll try to keep the chickens as mellow as possible. No bombs or car trips on the horizon, I hope!
