Chicken sits in nesting box but doesn’t lay

[MaybeItsFine]

A bit of [hopefully relevant] background:
I had a small flock of four chickens, Petunia, a Cinnamon Queen - also the head hen, Rose and Lily, Rode Island Reds, and Dahlia, a Barred Rocks. They are all a year and a month old and I got them from my local tractor supply. Sadly, my Petunia suddenly and very unexpectedly passed away last week. I never saw any sign at all that she may not be feeling well. I plan on bringing her to a lab for a necropsy as soon as I can, but I need to coordinate around my work schedule. My MIL thinks she may have been egg bound. Petunia is currently in my freezer. Since this happened, I’ve been watching my remaining chickens while I’m at work occasionally on a live stream from a camera I keep in their coop and their run. I’ve noticed Lily sitting in the nest box for extended periods of time on and off throughout the day, sometimes taking a nap, but she doesn’t lay an egg. She’ll also peck Dahlia out of their favorite nesting box and when Dahlia goes to another nesting box, Lily will follow her and smother Dahlia out of the new nesting box. It becomes a cycle with Lily following Dahlia from box to box. Today I noticed Lily sitting on two eggs, which I believe came from Rose and Dahlia and panting she wasn’t flattened out like I’d seen Petunia do in the past (Petunia was CONSTANTLY broody). I asked my husband (he works from home) to take her out of the box and close off the coop. He said he didn’t look at the thermometer, but Lily wasn’t hot to the touch like Petunia used to be. I gave Lily a 10 minute Epsom salt bath about two days ago and have been taking a look at any poops that I see come from her. I think they look a little larger than normal, but not the broody poops I’m used to. Has anyone ever experienced this? I don’t want to lose another chicken! Helpppppppp!!

 

[Debbie292d]

It wouldn't be the first time I heard a broody hen passed away. I'm sorry for your loss.

As for Lily, she may be trying to be broody and is following the other hen around to be able to sit on her egg. In a breeder pen, we have two nests for 5 hens, and they almost always lay in one. One just went broody last week and the other hens all crawl in that nest to lay their eggs.

I would try put some fake eggs or golf balls in a nest and see what Lily does.

The next time you have a broody hen, provided that you want one to be, I would boot them out a couple times a week so they eat/drink. They should be doing this themselves, but sometimes they are die-hards about it.

 

[aart]

Petunia is currently in my freezer.

I don't think the lab will necropsy a frozen bird, they need to be refrigerated not frozen?

 

[MaybeItsFine]

It wouldn't be the first time I heard a broody hen passed away. I'm sorry for your loss.

As for Lily, she may be trying to be broody and is following the other hen around to be able to sit on her egg. In a breeder pen, we have two nests for 5 hens, and they almost always lay in one. One just went broody last week and the other hens all crawl in that nest to lay their eggs.

I would try put some fake eggs or golf balls in a nest and see what Lily does.

The next time you have a broody hen, provided that you want one to be, I would boot them out a couple times a week so they eat/drink. They should be doing this themselves, but sometimes they are die-hards about it.

Thank you so much! Should I put the fake egg in everyone’s favorite box or in one of the other boxes? I have three but everyone lays in the same one if they can.
Petunia was not broody when she passed. She was acting normally and I’m still reeling from her untimely demise. I’ve been helicopter parenting the rest of the flock and they all seem fine.

 

[Debbie292d]

Thank you so much! Should I put the fake egg in everyone’s favorite box or in one of the other boxes? I have three but everyone lays in the same one if they can.
Petunia was not broody when she passed. She was acting normally and I’m still reeling from her untimely demise. I’ve been helicopter parenting the rest of the flock and they all seem fine.

I think my idea for trying to get Lily to just stick to one box is put fake eggs in the one you think she'd like the best and see if she'd plant herself to that one instead of going to every nest like she's doing. You could try it a couple of different ways to experiment. Maybe in time she'll just settle down to one but it sounds to me like she's trying to hog their eggs.