Sitting chicken

[Neffer1167]

I have 8 hens, no rooster. They are 15 months old. One of the hens does nothing but sit on a nest in the henhouse all day. Even with no eggs in it. She seems fine otherwise. She did come out one day but just burrowed into the dirt in the shade and laid there instead. I’m thinking she’s just broody but it’s never gone on this long (about 2 weeks). Thoughts?

 

[DobieLover]

I have 8 hens, no rooster. They are 15 months old. One of the hens does nothing but sit on a nest in the henhouse all day. Even with no eggs in it. She seems fine otherwise. She did come out one day but just burrowed into the dirt in the shade and laid there instead. I’m thinking she’s just broody but it’s never gone on this long (about 2 weeks). Thoughts?

She's likely broody and you need to break her.
I use an elevated wire dog crate to break my broodies. I put a piece of wood in it for them to perch on and food and water and place the crate in a high activity area. I leave mine in for 3 days and 2 nights if they've been broody for over a week, 2 days and one night if it's been less than a week.
I let her out about an hour before roost time at the end of her sentence. If she roosts with the flock, she broke. If I find her back in a nest box when I do lock up/head count, she goes back in the clink for another night and day and I try again the next night to let her rejoin the flock.

 

[Neffer1167]

She's likely broody and you need to break her.
I use an elevated wire dog crate to break my broodies. I put a piece of wood in it for them to perch on and food and water and place the crate in a high activity area. I leave mine in for 3 days and 2 nights if they've been broody for over a week, 2 days and one night if it's been less than a week.
I let her out about an hour before roost time at the end of her sentence. If she roosts with the flock, she broke. If I find her back in a nest box when I do lock up/head count, she goes back in the clink for another night and day and I try again the next night to let her rejoin the flock.

They have an enclosed run and an open run connected. Can I just lock her out of the henhouse so she can’t sit on a nest at all?

 

[3KillerBs]

They have an enclosed run and an open run connected. Can I just lock her out of the henhouse so she can’t sit on a nest at all?

Where would your others lay their eggs if the flock was locked out of the coop?

You could end up with multiple hens forming the bad habit of laying outside the nest boxes.

Better to use a broody-breaker cage. My coop is too small to put the cage inside so I made this: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/outdoor-broody-breaker.76592/

 

[Neffer1167]

It’s split in 2 so that she could actually be contained in the indoor run, door closed to the coop. She would have her own roost, food and water. The other chickens would have access to the coop, the other indoor area and the outside area. I don’t have a dog crate handy

 

[Neffer1167]

Eh but you’re right....she’ll just make a nest in there cuz there’s straw on the ground. I’ll have to find something to put her in.

 

[Neffer1167]

Oh and thanks for your help!

 

[aart]

I don’t have a dog crate handy

Get one, or a few.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/foldable-wire-dog-crates-a-good-tool-for-every-chickeneer.72619/