Broody hen made a nest in the ferns...

[Goodhouse]

Hi there! I'm a first time chicken keeper and have adopted 5 hens from the previous owner of my house. They are free range on the property of a few acres and always come back to the coop at dusk.
Recently, the biggest hen, a black Australorp, has been disappearing for most of the day... only to appear briefly for food and water. Today, I finally discovered where she's been hiding--in the ferns next to the house with a large clutch of 16 eggs.
Was able to lure her back into the coop for the night with food, but not sure what to do to keep her from laying eggs there again. I've got an old dog crate that I've read could be used as a "broody breaker" but should I keep some of her eggs or use a golf ball or something to encourage laying in the nest box again when she's cooled off? I felt terrible getting rid of her nest but we don't have any roosters so they're definitely not fertilized and don't want her getting sick from hiding all day and night.

 

[black_cat]

Worry about breaking her broodiness first, then worry about her laying in the box. Throw out the eggs that she was sitting on as you don't know how long they've been there. Sometimes free range hens have to be re trained to lay in the coop. The simplest way to do this is just shutting them in the coop/run all day and night, provided you have the proper space and ventilation for it. Welcome to BYC!

 

[britesidefarm]

You should start by breaking her broody. You can do this by placing her in a dog crate as you said for a day or two with food and water, or simply just by blocking off the nests.

 

[CluckerFamily]

I would've done the same thing.
You can use the crate if you have the room. I don't like separating members from the flock that are healthy.

 

[aart]

Was able to lure her back into the coop for the night with food, but not sure what to do to keep her from laying eggs there again.

Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop/run for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.

If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, IMO it's best to break her broodiness promptly.

My experience goes about like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest (or as soon as I know they are broody), I put her in a wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.

Tho not necessary a chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken.