Hen in the nesting box?!

CLeber719

In the Brooder
Jul 7, 2020
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Hey everyone! Super new to chickens with awesome luck...until now? I have a wonderful buff orpington hen that we raised from a chick. She has been amazing and laying one egg per day for several weeks/months. The last two days though, she has been sitting in the nesting box almost all day but hasn't laid an egg? We do have one rooster that is 4-5 months old. If they have mated, is she just nesting and planning on laying several fertilized eggs or is something wrong? I may sound dumb asking this but I just want to make sure she isn't egg bound and need medical attention. Thanks!
 
Is she laying on an egg? She might have gone 'broody' meaning she is trying to hatch eggs (fertilized or not). Maybe try taking her out of the nesting box and putting her into the run or the coop. I'm no expert though so hopefully someone else will reply.

Thanks! I don't think she's gone broody because she hasn't laid any eggs in 2 days. Otherwise I would assume she was broody. I took her out of the nesting box yesterday and today, she came out and immediately ate and drank but then back to the box. Im so confused by her behavior. Thanks for replying though!🙂
 
Thanks! I don't think she's gone broody because she hasn't laid any eggs in 2 days. Otherwise I would assume she was broody. I took her out of the nesting box yesterday and today, she came out and immediately ate and drank but then back to the box. Im so confused by her behavior. Thanks for replying though!🙂
It sound like she’s broody. Pullets/hens don’t lay while being broody, and for pullets it can be quite dangerous since their so young. Does she fluff up and/or growl at you when you touch her? If you take her out of the box, does she sit for a few seconds?
 
Thanks! I don't think she's gone broody because she hasn't laid any eggs in 2 days. Otherwise I would assume she was broody. I took her out of the nesting box yesterday and today, she came out and immediately ate and drank but then back to the box. Im so confused by her behavior.

Broody is when a hen sits on eggs to try to hatch them.
She does not lay any more eggs while broody.

Because she lays all the eggs first, and then goes broody, the eggs will all start to develop at the same time, so they can all hatch at the same time. Then the hen switches from sitting on eggs to taking care of chicks.

I think your hen is broody.

It has nothing to do with the rooster--hens go broody even with no roosters around, even when their eggs are infertile, and sometimes even with no eggs at all. They do not seem able to think about whether this might actually produce chicks.
 
It sound like she’s broody. Pullets/hens don’t lay while being broody, and for pullets it can be quite dangerous since their so young. Does she fluff up and/or growl at you when you touch her? If you take her out of the box, does she sit for a few seconds?
Yes thats exactly what she does! She fluffs up and tries to flatten like a pancake when you pick her up out of the nesting box. Is that a sign of being broody? She's 8 months old. Is there something we did to make her this way and/or is there some way to fix being broody?
 
Broody is when a hen sits on eggs to try to hatch them.
She does not lay any more eggs while broody.

Because she lays all the eggs first, and then goes broody, the eggs will all start to develop at the same time, so they can all hatch at the same time. Then the hen switches from sitting on eggs to taking care of chicks.

I think your hen is broody.

It has nothing to do with the rooster--hens go broody even with no roosters around, even when their eggs are infertile, and sometimes even with no eggs at all. They do not seem able to think about whether this might actually produce chicks.

Yeah, I started looking it up and she fits the broody symptoms almost perfectly. That being said, is there something I did to make her this way and how do I fix it? Does it eventually pass or is she going to be like this forever?
 
It has nothing to do with the rooster--hens go broody even with no roosters around, even when their eggs are infertile, and sometimes even with no eggs at all. They do not seem able to think about whether this might actually produce chicks.

In a large flock setting (junglefowl origins) the common Nests would not be possible to know if the eggs were fertile or not. Setting with no Eggs at all sounds like "stupid broody" that I have heard breeds accused of.
 
Yeah, I started looking it up and she fits the broody symptoms almost perfectly. That being said, is there something I did to make her this way and how do I fix it? Does it eventually pass or is she going to be like this forever?
It’s not a good idea to let her hatch any eggs with her being so young. If you want to “break” her broodiness, you can put her in a cage with no access of nests or block off the nests completely. As soon as the symptoms stop, you can put her back in with your other chickens and she should start laying in a week or two. It’s not healthy to let the broodiness pass because it can be dangerous and life-threatening towards the pullet.
 

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