Chicken sitting a lot in nest box

[Chicken crossing the road]

so I have a 1.3 yr old buff O., that’s being spending the day in the box .
Second day today. She’s alert, drinks and eats. I checked her over her vent is open and she pooped when I got her out for a check over after she went out for a bit (she ate a little and drank water) , she returned to the nest later. Just below her vent she feels a little firmer.
So maybe I need to do something, bath ?
I did give her a calcium boost, and I should add that I let the shell run out , few hours or day at the most).
So question if she’s in the box do you leave her for the night or roost her?
Any other advice appreciated!

 

[sourland]

Are you certain that she hasn't gone broody ?

 

[Aunt Angus]

Looks like you've got a broody!

 

[TomZilla43]

When she's in the nest box does she sort of flatten herself out? and does she get indignant when you went to remove her from the nest? I've actually never had a hen go broody but it sounds like that's what you may be dealing with. If so you will have to break her of it or it can go on for quite a while and she won't lay while she's broody....

 

[Chicken crossing the road]

Well I’m not sure about broody? I did consider broody but I’m pretty new to this so I’m not sure what to look for.

Not really flattening out or making to much fuss when I remove her. She just sits with her head hanging out the front , looking bored. My other buff takes her time laying and makes a screeching sound if disturbed when she’s in there. She’s always come out unlike the one in question.

So Isolate her maybe? If broody what is the cure? Solidarity.

 

[goldies99]

i would put her on the roost for night time.....broody hens dont usually hang their head out of the nest box....is she new to the group??...could she be getting picked on??...some of my new hens would sit in the box just to get away for others picking on her...

 

[cluckcluckhens]

I have a broody every year and I leave her be. She pecks at me and just grumbles at me also. It is funny as ever when I walk into the coop and she starts her grumbling at me and knows what I am about to do. She usually is sitting on a egg. She is a good mother but never hatched any because I take the eggs by the end of the day. We should of let her hatch some years ago but we didn't.

Some places I read to break this habit is throwing her out of the box and keep doing this until she stops. Hen can be mean to the other hens when they decide to come out and stretch their legs, eat and drink.

My time has arrived to do what I must do. Take her real egg from her. Most times she's on a ceramic egg.

 

[goldies99]

if she is broody....the way to break her is to put her in cage off the ground...(set it on a table or something) away from the coop....(so she cant see the coop)....with a wire bottom and no bedding.....something like a rabbit cage....this will allow her body to cool, and bring her temp down....keep her in a well lite space...(but not in beating sun)...or if you put her in a garage, keep a light on her 24/7 ....keep her in the broody breaker for 3 days....or longer, till she breaks.....i have some hens that take a week or more to break....make sure she has water and food in her cage at all times....when you take her out of the broody breaker, if she runs back to the next boxes she should go back in.....a broody hen will sit forever on nothing!!!....so it is best to break her...or get her some eggs and let her hatch!!!........good luck!!!

 

[Chicken crossing the road]

i would put her on the roost for night time.....broody hens dont usually hang their head out of the nest box....is she new to the group??...could she be getting picked on??...some of my new hens would sit in the box just to get away for others picking on her...

She’s the low gal on the totem pole, but they ( four others) have been together from day one.
I don’t see that much fighting or picking, a bird just above her in rank does sometimes jump on her back to show dominance and it has damaged some feathers on the wing.
They have all day access to food and water, etc.
Food in two places.

 

[aart]

How's her poop look?
Is she hot...panting, wings held away from body?

When I have a bird that acting 'off'....
I isolate bird in a wire cage within the coop for a day or two....so you can closely monitor their intake of food and water, crop function(checking at night and in morning before providing more feed), and their poops. Feel their abdomen, from below vent to between legs, for squishy or hard swelling.

Best to put crate right in coop or run so bird is still 'with' the flock.
I like to use a fold-able wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller mesh(1x2) on bottom of crate under tray.
Then you can put tray underneath crate to better observe droppings without it being stepped in. If smaller mesh is carefully installed, tray can still be used inside crate.