Hen in nest box all day

[SilkieRen]

I have a hen that's just hanging out in the nest box all day. She'll come down on her own to eat and drink and dust bathe several times a day but always goes back up into the nest box instead of hanging out in the run with the rest of the chickens. I'm wondering if this is normal since it's starting to get a little chilly and we've had 2 hens molt (the hen in question hasn't started molting yet). She started acting this way this week, before then she would be in the run all day with the other chickens.

Is this normal?

 

[Cyprus]

She sounds like she is broody.
When they are broody they want to hatch eggs.

You can either give her fertile eggs, day old chicks (under the cover of darkness) or break her from her broodiness by using a broody breaker cage.

A broody breaker is a wire bottom cage propped up on two block to circulate air underneath her to cool her belly. It should take at least 3 days to break her. Provide her with food and water, let her out each day to see what she does. If she goes back to the nest, put her back in the cage. Repeat until she doesn't return to the nest.

 

[coach723]

Broody breaker examples:

 

[SilkieRen]

Thanks for the replies! She's been broody before but usually when she's broody she won't come down to the run at all and will just stay in the nest box for the entire day. This times she's coming down to eat and drink and dust bathe every few hours so I don't know what to make of it. Can a chicken be halfway broody?

 

[coach723]

Sometimes they will think about it but not commit. Mine usually come out to eat, drink and dustbathe, but go straight back to the nest after, and the off nest time is fairly short. When they get farther along, towards the last week of the incubation period they are more stuck to the nest and reluctant to leave. Body temperature plays a role in broodiness, so if it's very cool where you are, that may be causing her to think about it but not quite commit. I've got one that is flirting with sitting right now, but not sure she will follow though either. Usually after a few days you know if they are really going to sit or not. If taking her off when ever you find her there doesn't work, then try the crate. For me that's the most successful way to break them.

 

[Duckfarmer1]

She sounds like she is broody.
When they are broody they want to hatch eggs.

You can either give her fertile eggs, day old chicks (under the cover of darkness) or break her from her broodiness by using a broody breaker cage.

A broody breaker is a wire bottom cage propped up on two block to circulate air underneath her to cool her belly. It should take at least 3 days to break her. Provide her with food and water, let her out each day to see what she does. If she goes back to the nest, put her back in the cage. Repeat until she doesn't return to the nest.

Cool.. I didn’t know how to break broody hens yet..thanks

 

[SilkieRen]

Thank you! I'll try that!

 

[analyticalblonde]

@coach723

I am having the same problem with one of my Buffs...but she doesn't get out of the box at all! She's been this way since last week Friday and tonight my husband & I are going to take her out and relocate her in our basement. My question is does the dog crate have to be the size shown in the pictures above? I have a dog crate that I used when raising my 10 chicks but it is a crate that holds a very large dog. I don't have any other cage besides this one and I am unable to get out tonight because it is pretty much blizzard conditions right now and the temps are expected to drop to the single digits soon; temps have dropped from 24 to 19 within the last hour. Is an extra-large crate OK?

 

[NatJ]

A bigger dog crate is fine.
The hen needs food, water, and NO nest (perch/roost is optional.) Extra space does no harm, as long as all the areas have the wire floor.

 

[coach723]

Yes, any size crate. Important that air circulates all the way around, and she has no place to nest. I have crates of several sizes. Many use the smaller crate simply because they are easy to get around and don't take up lots of space in the run.