Why won’t my chicken leave the nest box?

[neo71665]

I wouldn't ever just try to wait broody out to go away on it's own. It's really unhealthy and stressful on the bird. Break her or give her some eggs to hatch. The stock tank might not work very well as she will still try to make a nest in anything solid bottomed. You really need to have her in a real cage that is up in the air. Make it so the air can cool her underside so she can't think she is warming anything.

True it might be less common on production breeds but it still happens.

 

[NatJ]

The stock tank might not work very well as she will still try to make a nest in anything solid bottomed. You really need to have her in a real cage that is up in the air. Make it so the air can cool her underside so she can't think she is warming anything.

It depends on the hen.

I have had times that I moved a hen to a new nesting location, intending to let her hatch eggs. But she refused to sit in the new location, and spent 2-3 days pacing back and forth trying to get out. By the end of that, her broodiness was broken just as well as if she had been in a wire cage. (This has happened for me with several different hens.)

If the stock tank is an easy spot, it's certainly worth a try-- either it will work or it will not work, but as long as the hen is safe and has access to food & water it should not do any harm.