Jersey giant in nestbox since 5pm; now 11:00.worried. egg bound?

[Trishkabob]

Our JG is usually out and about happily but she has been in the nestbox for at least 6 hours. No egg and when the other two went to the coop to roost she stayed in the nestbox; just now when I went to lock their door I found her still there. She hates to be picked up but I brought her inside so I could see/examine her. As soon as I put her on the floor to see if she could walk (which she could) she took a HUGE ...dump. She was clucking sort of unhappily and seemed to be trying to drop a bit more...a few small bits of droppings came out; the first one was whitish on top and ordinary looking, the other looked normal, if small. But something is amiss and I'm not sure what. how do I check for a bound egg? Or any other thoughts? I just carried her back to the coop and coaxed her up onto the roost with the other 2. Maybe she is just having an "off day" and I am over-reacting. She is 2 yrs. old and a good layer (and does take a long time to lay...often in the nestbox quite awhile which is why I wasn't concerned earlier) but never sleeps in it.
thanks for any input.

 

[leadwolf1]

I would say that you have a broody JG

 

[Trishkabob]

....ok :/
Is that what "going" broody means-that a hen who has never displayed that behavior before suddenly does? But wouldn't she want to have at least one egg to sit on before she does?
I believe when they go broody they stop laying?....meaning, ideally, they have laid "enough" for a clutch and then the broodiness takes over?
Are you saying she might just have the behavior without the clutch? (clearly, I am new to broodiness...
thanks,

 

[leadwolf1]

Some hens, I have quite a few, just decide that they will be broody. No clutch needed. I had one bantam sit on imaginary eggs for over a month...I tried everything to break her. Finally, a move to a new coop did the trick.

If you pick her up and put her down and she looks like a feathered hovercraft chances are, she is broody. The pecking at you is a sign of broodiness, also.

 

[seminolewind]

I would say that you have a broody JG

X2

 

[Trishkabob]

"a feathered hovercraft" is a great description! Soooo, we have a broody hen...do we do anything?
she was in the nestbox from 4:30-8:30 tonight. I just went out and stroked her (our nestbox has a lid that lifts so I can reach down to her) while she made semi-unhappy cluckings. I sort of pushed her out of the nestbox up to the roost and she acquiesced grudgingly.
We have three hens and she is the first one to (suddenly, in the space of 24 hrs) go broody. I don't want to put her in a cage if I don't have to....is this bad for her? Is it bad for laying in general ?(noone has laid since she started this the other day)
she seems sort of unhappy (maybe I am anthromorphizing but...); is she?
She is just over two, a good layer, in the middle of the three pecking order-wise.
Should I just keep coaxing her out of the nestbox whenever she is in (too long)?
thanks. sorry if this is sort of obvious, basic stuff.