Should I move a free-range hen while she's laying?

[Daniellebell1]

Hallo chickenfriends, I'm seeking some advice!

I have a wee flock of 4 young hens that free-range in the backyard during the daytime. Around dusk, I put them in the coop and they stay there til the next morning. They have a sweet nesting box in the coop, but they really only go into the coop to eat or sleep for the night. Even when it's pouring rain, they prefer to huddle underneath the eaves of the house or roost in the fig tree. So it did not come as a surprise to me that they also lay their eggs outside of the coop too--specifically in a nook between some new and old fencing. Usually this does not present a problem, but lately one of the hens, Zippy (this lovely community helped me identify that she is a Buff Rock), has started staying in the nesting spot for hours at a time. And this evening at dusk, she was still there. So I put the other chickens up, and decided to come back for her an hour later. Still there. My spouse went to check on her an hour later. Still there. So now it's midnight, and I'm in my jammies and definitely not going back out there for tonight, but I can't help worrying about her.
So I'd like your advice, oh wise chicken pals. If this becomes a habit, should I try to move her into the coop so that she doesn't become a predator's dinner? Also, is this the beginning stages of broodiness, or is it just that some hens like to take their sweet time?
Thanks in advance for your feedback!

 

[Daniellebell1]

Oh, and as another bit of info, I have a quasi-guardian dog, Grover Cleveland, who is in and out of the house all day. He does a good job keeping the yard free of pesky critters during the day, but he always sleeps in the house with us at night. So Zippy doesn't even have Grover Cleveland to keep an eye out for her. I've worked myself into a lather now. I think I'll probably put on a robe and go check on her again. Eeep!

 

[LadiesAndJane]

You don’t mention any roosters I am assuming you don’t have any? Sounds like she’s become broody and you will need to break her of this. There are some good threads here on BYC explaining how to do this. Don’t leave her outside. It won’t hurt her for you to pick her up and place her on the roost with the other chickens for now.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Sounds like she's broody (the telltale sign being that she's staying on her nest spot overnight). Do you want to hatch chicks? If not, best to break her.

Broody jail: Put her in an isolation cage with some food and water, in sight of the others (in the coop if it's not too hot or in/near the run is ideal). A wire cage elevated to air flow under her would be the best option, however I've used everything from a brooder to a dog exercise pen.

Keep her in the cage around the clock for about 2 days. At that time, if she's shows fewer signs of broodiness (puffing up, flattening down and growling, tik tik tik noise) you can let her out to test her. If she runs back to the nest at any point (usually they don't do it immediately, but maybe after 15 minutes, maybe an hour) then she's not yet sufficiently broken and needs to go back to the cage for another 24 hours. Then let her out and test her again. Repeat until she's no longer going to the nest box.

IF the isolation cage is not safe for overnight stay (i.e. sits outside the run) then put her on the roost at night, and retrieve her from the nest box the next morning and put her back in the cage. It may take a little longer this way but better than letting a predator get to her.

As far as the chickens laying outside of the nest box, it's up to you if that's a problem or not. It'd be an issue for me, but maybe it doesn't bother you. If you want to break them of the habit, you'll likely need to lock them in the coop or coop & run until they start using the nest boxes consistently.

 

[Daniellebell1]

Thank you @rosemarythyme and @jmns ! I really appreciate your advice.
And yes, you're correct, we don't have any roosters. (I would like to have one eventually but not until my house is farther away from the neighbors' houses.) So there's definitely no chance of hatching chicks.
I don't really mind their laying outside the coop because they have this one spot they like that seems safe and easy for me to reach. And the yard is reasonably roomy but small enough that it shouldn't be too hard to find it if they decide on another spot.
As of this morning, Zippy is booping around the yard like nothing was different. Chickens are weird, y'all.

 

[Daniellebell1]

I spoke too soon. Zippy has gone completely broody and now she is in broody jail. She was so mad!! Thanks, y'all, for helping me recognize the signs (even if it did take an extra day or two to be convinced.
Her sisters seem both relieved and worried--I think they've been waiting to use that nesting spot to lay their eggs and were getting huffy. But also they keep running back to the coop to make sure Zippy is there and ok. I stand by my previous statement: chickens are weird.

 

[aart]

Zippy has gone completely broody and now she is in broody jail. She was so mad!! Thanks, y'all, for helping me recognize the signs (even if it did take an extra day or two to be convinced.

She'll get over it, in more ways than one.
...and eventually you will know when you hear that very first ticking broody cluck.