Broody Hen hatched and raised 4 chicks and now laid 7 eggs in one day? any explanation? I really don't understand.

[ChicksbyGrace]

My Broody Hen Li'l Miss has raised her 4 chicks. Tomorrow will they will be 6 weeks old tomorrow. She seems to be ready to move back to her flock and let the chicks fend for themselves. The chicks are healthy and ready to grow up. That is good with this chicken keeper.
Here is my question for the group:
On Thursday Li'l Miss laid one small egg. Note: Li'l Miss does lay small eggs.
Yesterday we got home from running errands all day and there was 1 fairy egg and 6 small eggs in the run (no eggs in the coop). I doubt the 2 suspected hens or 2 suspected roos laid any eggs at 6 weeks. We do get finches in the run but I would think their eggs would be tiny.
Is it possible that after broodiness and raising chicks for 6 weeks that she laid 7 eggs? I've never heard of such a thing myself.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It is physically impossible for a hen to produce more than one fully formed egg in a day as it takes 20 hours for just the shell to be created. The whole process of a hen creating an egg is around 24-26 hours. You either missed where she laid the eggs over the course of a week or so, or there has to be another explanation. Hens can lay multiple soft eggs in a day, but not ones with shells.

 

[DemeterAD9]

If they are indeed her eggs then she likely had a hidden nest somewhere and the youngsters scratch around enough to find it and scatter the eggs.

 

[ChicksbyGrace]

If they are indeed her eggs then she likely had a hidden nest

If they are indeed her eggs then she likely had a hidden nest somewhere and the youngsters scratch around enough to find it and scatter the eggs.

This seems like the best explanation. Li'l Miss is a run with a small coop along with her her 4 chicks. this is to keep my flock of leghorns from eating the chicks. (They killed and tried to eat one of her chicks last year sooo. now I have a way to separate the chicks from the flock.)
On Thursday I found the 7 eggs; She could very well have been laying eggs and the chicks scattered them. At least it makes sense. Thank You!

 

[ChicksbyGrace]

It is physically impossible for a hen to produce more than one fully formed egg in a day as it takes 20 hours for just the shell to be created. The whole process of a hen creating an egg is around 24-26 hours. You either missed where she laid the eggs over the course of a week or so, or there has to be another explanation. Hens can lay multiple soft eggs in a day, but not ones with shells.

Thank you for bringing that up. I have read that hens can lay 2 eggs in a 24 hour span. but have never seen it before. I did not know that about soft eggs. That is good to know. All of these were hard shelled eggs.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Thank you for bringing that up. I have read that hens can lay 2 eggs in a 24 hour span. but have never seen it before. I did not know that about soft eggs. That is good to know. All of these were hard shelled eggs.

She may have covered them, so they weren't easily seen. Some do that.