Broody Pullet that has stopped being broody and now won't lay.

[BlueJumpingBean]

Hey!
So my pullets have been laying since early July(we got them at varying chick ages in late February), and here back about 3 weeks my True Blue Egger went broody. For the first few days, she would still lay but she has stopped laying altogether. She would sit on the golf balls I had in the boxes, others eggs, and even on nothing, but not her own eggs. Since I don't have a rooster and don't need her to be broody, I would take her off the nest every time I saw her sitting for long periods.
She has stopped being broody and now will go out with the rest of the flock during the day. But two days in a row she hasn't come home at night to be locked up. I find her in the morning outside the coop. We have put them in confinement for the past week to see if she would lay any (we thought that she might have a nest somewhere else), and she still hasn't layed. Is something wrong?
I'm new to chicken keeping so any help is appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[aart]

(we thought that she might have a nest somewhere else)

That would be my guess too.

She's probably still broody. Best to break her more assertively(see below).
They usually won't lay until a week or two after done being broody.
She may even molt first, if you live in the northern hemisphere.


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.

 

[aart]

Oh, and... Welcome to BYC! @BlueJumpingBean
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!