Help! chicken not coming out of nesting box

[GrandmaChickie]

Thanks for the info, Dee!

 

[DonovanChick]

Will a chicken brood if shes not been in physical contact with a rooster? My chickens are free range and the neighbor has a rooster but they keep thiers penned up. My hens do go over to thier pen often. Thanks, I'm new with chickens, only 4 months.

 

[cafarmgirl]

Will a chicken brood if shes not been in physical contact with a rooster? My chickens are free range and the neighbor has a rooster but they keep thiers penned up. My hens do go over to thier pen often. Thanks, I'm new with chickens, only 4 months.

Yes. If a hen has it in her to go broody she will do so whether there is a roo present or not.

 

[cjw100]

Yea I use to have 11 chickens but one of them went in to a broody stage and I didn't realize it until it was to late she died and now I have another one in a broody stage so I will try to break her

 

[CloverSusan]

My little hen, Doris is in the nesting box and won't come out either. She is only 6 months old and hasn't been laying very long. She lets me pet her and hasn't fussed at me. She let one hen visit but yelled at another. I'm not sure what to do. Is she old enough to be broody? Or could she be sick? She is usually skittish and will get out of my way. I am worried for her.

 

[Kasimo]

Hi there,

We have four buff Orpingtons and two black silkies. One Orpington went broody and sitting on the other chooks eggs. We would take her off the nest but she would go right back. Did this for about 4 days. Then we bought some fertilised eggs for her (we do not have a rooster) and she settled on them happily and has sat for about 4 days. Got the eggs on Saturday and now she has come off the nest so hoping she will actually go back on and hatch them! Anyway agree that some chooks are easier to snap out of broodiness than others. If it is fairly warm does that make a difference to how long they sit? Will she go back?

 

[Kasimo]

Hi there,

You can buy fertilised eggs for your broody hen to hatch if you want chicks. She will hatch them and take care of them but you need to keep her and the chick separate from the other hens til they are old enuff to fend for themselves.

 

[LMAC]

Thank you for posting this and all of the replies with information. My black austrolope (sp?) is about 2-1/2 and has just started what has been described here as "broody". She does not want to come out of her nesting box, raises her tail when I nudge her and will puff up if I bother her enough to get her out. I have kept her segregated from the other hens ( I have 5 others) because they all beat up on her (she lost one eye) and I just couldn't bear to see it. She has been segregated for over 6 months so I don't think that is what is causing her broodiness. I'll remove her nesting box during the day and see if that helps her snap out of it. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Iceman23]

Thank you everyone.
This is very helpful to me and my dad, for we have a 11 month old Blue Cochin, named Woola, who hasn't started laying yet but suddenly for the past 4 days, she hasn't come out of her nesting box. We were worried she was sick or else being picked on by our other chicken, Tabitha (Welsummer) who can be a bit fiesty. Shes been very lazy and hasnt moved unless for water, food or bathroom, then she goes and lays right back in the box. She will let us pet her and talk to her, and she will make little chirps to us, but when we try to pick her up and move her to go outside and get some sun, she attacks our hands. This is especially weird cuz she3es our most friendly lovable playful chicken who even will play with our dogs. I was so glad when i read this and thank you all for your advice. I am gonna try to break her with the stuff i have read and hopefully it is effective.
Do you think she is actually brooding though, or is it something else?

I hope she's just brooding, I would really like to hear she's healthy and not sick.

Thank you for your help.

 

[spdykat]

I've got one broody hen right now, not sure what to do so I guess I'll try forcing her to stay in the main coop tomorrow during the day so she can't access the nesting box? She doesn't seem interested in food, and is currently trying to hatch a fake egg that I keep in there. where can I get fertilized eggs? I haven't seen mine come out for food or water at all. I hope she's sneaking out during the day when I'm not looking.