Hen won't leave the nesting box.

[Melody Hunt]

No roosters. One of our hens started hanging out in the nesting box all day and night. What should I do to break this behavior?

 

[nchls school]

No roosters. One of our hens started hanging out in the nesting box all day and night. What should I do to break this behavior?

Is she broody? Hens will go broody even if there's no rooster present. If she is broody you could find some fertilized eggs for her to hatch. Should you not want chicks, lock the hen in a cage for a week where there is no nest. Just putting the hen in a different coop/location might work too.

 

[Mariakissinger132]

What we do when our hens are broody when ever we see them in the nesting box after they have already slid there egg we lock them outside in the run with the other chickens so they can’t go back to the nesting box well the free range so we lock them outside but they have food and water so there fine

 

[Mamatomany123]

What we do when our hens are broody when ever we see them in the nesting box after they have already slid there egg we lock them outside in the run with the other chickens so they can’t go back to the nesting box well the free range so we lock them outside but they have food and water so there fine

What happens if a different hen needs to lay? She wont be able to get into the nesting box then.

 

[Mariakissinger132]

What happens if a different hen needs to lay? She wont be able to get into the nesting box then.

Ya that’s the only problem we have bc our ducks and other hens need to get in if we have to let them in anytime we see in the nesting box we just take her out

 

[Ridgerunner]

The way I break a broody hen is to put her in an elevated wire bottomed cage or crate for 72 hours. Give her food and water but nothing that looks like a nest. The cooler air hitting her underside seems to help. If 72 hours doesn't do it, repeat the process. The crate or cage needs to be somewhere predator safe and not where it can get really hot.

I purposely build something for this. Many people use a wire dog crate, just set it up on blocks or hang it from the ceiling.