Kind of the opposite Aart. I almost never have one not lay an egg when I do this. It’s possible they have already laid it by the time I see them and lock them up after removing what eggs are there. Sometimes I see a hen in a nest but they are not really there to lay an egg, but this is rare. Most of the time they lay their egg within a half hour, though with them being stubborn, hard-headed, contrary chickens you always have an exception.
If they are in a nest that I cannot lock, I move them to a nest that I can lock. They tend to start laying in the nest I moved them to. Not always but often. It does not put them off from using nests. This is how I train a hen laying somewhere not in a nest to start using the nests. When I catch her on her nest, usually on the coop floor in a corner, I lock her in a real nest until she lays her egg. It usually only takes once but some are more stubborn than others. I’ve never had to do it more than twice.
You are correct to phrase it “a majority of the time”. As you well know, with living animals nothing is certain. But yes, this is practically always successful. I did it this morning. I now know that the red pullet with a green zip tie on her right leg lays a large-for-a-pullet fairly dark green egg. She is a keeper.
