Broody?

[Kraemer7]

Hi! I had a chicken that I swore was broody. She’s a lavender Orpington and had been in the box since about 5 last night until 12:30 today. I’m also pretty sure she didn’t lay yesterday or today. However, when I went to change water and give some scratch she hopped down (took a giant poo) and has been eating, drinking and bathing for an hour.
How long can they be out and still be broody? I was about to put some fertile eggs under her as we’d love for her to hatch.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

It's possible that she hasn't committed to being broody yet and is just feeling it out. I have had hens do this off and on for extended periods of time but if she's going to sit you'll probably see her being more consistent within a few days. Every broody is a little different but 10-20 minutes, 2-3 times per day is most common for nest breaks.