Chicken won't leave her box?

[Brielle]

Hi, I have a Orpington chicken that's about 10 months old. Recently, though she has been refusing to come out of her nesting box. Three of our chickens have recently died from a untreatable sickness, but they still died quite a while ago, about in the middle of Summer. We cleaned everything once the last one died. So does anyone have any clue what could be going on with my Orpington? She hasn't laid an egg in about a week, and if you try to get her out of her box, she just hops right back in a few minutes later.

 

[janelle18]

is she broody?

 

[Brielle]

is she broody?

Can a chicken still be broody even is she has no eggs to lay on?

 

[ChickensRDinos]

Yes. Being broody really has nothing to do with having eggs or a rooster or fertile eggs. The hens brain tells her it's time to make babies and so she nests. It's a bit silly but she will just brood an empty nest for a month.