hen won't come out of nesting box

I have a 3 year old Black Australorp hen that has not come out of the nesting box all day. It is almost dark now and while the other hens are on the roost she is still in the nesting box. I can force her to come out and when I do she looks fine but a little frustrated with me for making her move. I have never had a hen go broody before and like I said she is 3 years old. Do you think it is just that she is broody or is there something wrong? I have read on here about eggs being stuck and such but I would not have a clue what to look for. Can someone help?

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She sounds broody to me
get her some eggs to hatch.

Still on there - she's broody. And we all know she'll sit there for at least 21 days even with nothing under her. Three choices: 1)leave her there for 21 days on an empty nest 2)put eggs under her to hatch or 3) put her in a small portable coop with food and water for about 3 days and that should break her. If not, it will probably take another 30 days or so for her to start laying again. With me, it's always the one that lays on a regular basis and I need those eggs.

I think that you were right! She was still there this afternoon so I have a friend that is going to give me some eggs to put under her. I don't have a rooster. She is gathering them this weekend and I will put them under her on Monday! THANKS SO MUCH!!

congrats!

I have a hen that just started that up yesterday afternoon. She was docile, she's never been broody before (although I tried), she slept in the nest box which she never does, she wouldn't eat, and she returned to the nestbox when taken out. It's totally not like her. To top it off, today she had a lot of white clear green diarrhea on a messy butt. I needed to give her a flea bath anyway so while doing that, I went on the egg bound scenario. I had to fish around quite a bit but I managed to pull out a soft egg shell. It was complicated by the fact that she was starting to prolapse (came out when she pushed real hard). I think that's a side effect of having this thing in there for a day or two. She's been blow dried and flea sprayed and she's out with the girls now. Completely different.

Usually when a hen is broody, they get real 'icky and screetchy'. That's what I call it. They get kind of mad (and some almost act broody like that when they're just in there trying to lay an egg); There's pecking and growling (and outraged!). Especially when broody, they puff up their feathers like a balloon and make it difficult to be pulled out from the nest box. So, I guess what I'm saying is, if your hen was docile being pulled out and if she has any kind of a messy butt, don't discount an egg bound situation. It took me awhile, and with a latex glove, I finally did feel the soft shell in there. I'm not discounting that your hen is broody, but since you never had a broody hen before, I just wanted you to know about the 'icky screetchy'.

chkn, thank you. I think that she is broody because she is making this noise like she is growling when I try to get her out of the nest box. I would not say she was docile. When I finally did get her out she paced back and forth looking at the nest box and kind of making this bock bock sound deep in her throat while giving me the stink eye. She puffs her feathers up when I try to get near her too.
I am glad that your hen was fine after you found the soft shell egg. That kind of scares me. I hope I am right and she is broody.

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Yep, broody
Growling--check, Clucking---check (bock,bock), Puffs up feathers---check, Stink eye---check, Pecks the h*** out of me--check.

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Oh yeah she's broody (sounds icky screetchy). My hen's doing good now, thanks and happy brooding!!!

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Yep, broody
Growling--check, Clucking---check (bock,bock), Puffs up feathers---check, Stink eye---check, Pecks the h*** out of me--check.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/36435_hatchjune14c.jpg