[shiatsusu]

I only ask because my light sussex x took 2.5 hours today and I was worried she had a problem. Lengthy lays are normal for her although today's was a record. She's only been laying a few weeks and produces relatively small neat eggs most days. She seemed absolutely fine when she eventually came out. Her sisters take nothing like as long. Is this normal I wonder?

ps- she's just put herself back into the nest box. Way too early for normal bed time. Could she be going broody or should I be concerned she isn't well?

[Mellibelle]

My first time back on here for a few months!  I've got a Light Sussex doing the same.  She's only a little bit touchy, isn't sitting (I left her some eggs just to see) but she happily spends 4 hours in the box and then goes to bed early.  She doesn't seem to have any problems laying an egg and she's fine, so I've decided to let her suit herself.  I just wonder if some are 'slow layers'.  One of my other hens can go in, squat, drop and come back out again within a couple of minutes.

One of her sisters has just hatched 3 chicks from 9 eggs.  She went into a massive broody strop so I gave her some eggs which I hadn't refrigerated.  Time to go and check on her and shut up for the night!

[cathangirl]

Some hens like to "concentrate" and take up to three hours to lay. 
So long as your LS looks fine and is eating, just leave her to her little foibles.
cathangirl

[Mellibelle]

Thanks Cathangirl.  I guess the way to tell might be to see if Sugarpuff actually decides not to get up and gets really touchy, like her sister Shyanne did.

Off topic, but I've just found I'm down to two chicks - Shyanne was ignoring the youngest earlier, and it's died.

[shiatsusu]

Oh sorry to hear that Melli and thanks for the replies you two- I was beginning to think everyone'd sent me to Coventry!! Ruby (our light sussex) has done the same thing again- not sure how long she took to lay as I was out but she went to bed really early and was sitting in the nest box making what sounded suspiciously like broody noises to me  Time will tell but so far her behaviour otherwise is normal, eating, drinking, pooing, wandering about etc, so I'll watch her for a while.