Is this Normal?

[britinpa]

Everyday I give my hens wet crumble feed around 4p.m. One of them went into the nest box not long after I took out their feed. I have just got back (about 5.20p.m.) from shutting them up - I thought I'd collect that last egg of the day and she is still sitting in there! It's dark and the others are all roosting. I guess she'll stay there until she's done. Is there an average time it takes once the chicken sits, to when she actually lays the egg?

 

[sourland]

Any chance that she might be going broody ?

 

[britinpa]

Any chance that she might be going broody ?

I need to reword my posts, I keeps calling them pullets when they are all mostly laying now, so I should be calling them hens. I guess she could be broody, but isn't she too young? It's the first time one of them has been sitting in the nest box at lock up

 

[Yardmom]

It is possible she is broody or she may just be avoiding the other chickens. Some of my lower ranking chickens will roost in the nests, but if that is the case she will get off in the morning.

 

[britinpa]

Thanks! So I may or may not have another egg in the morning. I haven't noticed that any of them have been roosting in the nests as there is never poop in them, but I guess this could be a first time thing.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

She could be broody or just laying an egg I know with my chickens it took them at least a month to figure out their laying cycle. They laid quite a few eggs at night. Unfortunately most of them were dropped from the roost. I’m assuming ducks are the same but someone more experienced may be able to give you a better answer.

 

[aart]

Everyday I give my hens wet crumble feed around 4p.m.

But they have dry feed available all day long?

Guessing late arriving egg from a newish layer.

so I should be calling them hens.

Not until one year old.

FYI-PSA.....semantics, maybe, but can be important communication terms when discussing chicken behavior.
Female chickens are called pullets until one year of age, then they are called hens.
Male chickens are called cockerels until one year of age, then they are called cocks(or cockbirds or roosters).
Age in weeks or months is always a good thing to note.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Everyday I give my hens wet crumble feed around 4p.m. One of them went into the nest box not long after I took out their feed. I have just got back (about 5.20p.m.) from shutting them up - I thought I'd collect that last egg of the day and she is still sitting in there! It's dark and the others are all roosting. I guess she'll stay there until she's done. Is there an average time it takes once the chicken sits, to when she actually lays the egg?

I need to reword my posts, I keeps calling them pullets when they are all mostly laying now, so I should be calling them hens. I guess she could be broody, but isn't she too young? It's the first time one of them has been sitting in the nest box at lock up

Guessing late arriving egg from a newish layer.

How old is she?
You mention you call them pullets but they are all mostly laying now...if they are under a year old, they are still pullets.
If she's just come into lay recently, I would tend to agree with @aart "late arriving egg from newish layer"
I've had that happen with pullets, their egg came "late" in the day, so they spent the night in the nesting box.
Hopefully you will find an egg this morning

 

[britinpa]

But they have dry feed available all day long?

Thanks to you all. I thought I had seen somewhere on here, it was a year, but when I search on the web it says when they start laying they are no longer pullets, so it kind of confused me a bit. I shall continue to call them pullets. They do get dry feed all day long too. They're coming up to 28 weeks old. No egg this morning, so not sure what she was doing in there. No poop in there, so she didn't sleep in there overnight.

 

[SulkyBantam]

Maybe a bit broody or hiding from a bully.