I usually find one in a nest box in the morning, one lays around 10am and one around 2pm. They do go back in the coop as I've seen them, however, I have at least one or two that like to lay under the deck and we are trying to get them trained to the coop too! I think only 3 or 4 of mine are laying as of yet.
My girls are new to the process, but they both go to the coop to lay. I always know to go check when I see one chicken walking out of the coop or visiting the run waterer all by herself.
All my girls lay their eggs before they leave the coop to freerange in the morning. They are usually done before 9am and all lay in the same nest box. It works out very well for me.
My girls are out at the crack of dawn. One of them usually lays an egg by 9:30 (but if i factor in daylight savings time that would be 8:30) the other two I usually have another egg by noon and the last one by 2:30 or 3pm. They always go back into the coop to lay their eggs they won't use our nest box though.
Mine lay throughout the day. I have to keep them in the run til 2:00 or 3:00 before I let them out in the grass. Even then there are usually 2 hens "finishing up" at that time. Sometimes I'll find an egg when I close everything up for the night. If I let them out to free range early, I don't get as many in the boxes. I WISH they'd lay before noon so they can have more forage time, but they punch their own time cards whether I like it or not.