Sitting and not laying

[Joycel1]

I have a chicken that sits in the box for hours at a time but doesn't lay. She puffs her feathers all up until she looks huge. Please help

 

[sourland]

Sounds like a broody hen to me. She wants to incubate eggs.

 

[wrathsfarm]

I second that. Either break her out of broody or shove eggs under her. What breed is she?
Where are you located? If it gets super cold there in winter then you might not want her to go broody, it can be done but it's a little more stressful this time of year, hence the reason most people hatch or buy chicks in spring/summer.

 

[rosemarythyme]

How to break a broody: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/broody-breaking-ala-aart.77915/

 

[aart]

First, make sure she's actually broody.

Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?

If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

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