Sorry folks another broody hen question

[Dane End Dolly]

We have a broody hen who is sitting in the nesting box on NO eggs at all and will sit there all day and nakes weired noises at us and displays her back feathers at us when we push her off the nesting box. She will then go and eat and have a drink, but always comes back to the empty nesting box to sit on her imaginary eggs. Our poor other chicken, wants to lay but does not get a look in. Both o.h. and myself are at work all day so are unable to keep shooing the broody hen out of the chicken house to allow the other hen to lay an egg

All advise gratefully received

[RichmondHens]

This is a situation where you need to either move the broody or provide another nestbox for the other hen. If you only have the two hens then two nest boxes will probably solve the problem. A heavy duty cardboard box filled with straw in a dark corner will probably suffice.

Some hens are so determined to lay they will climb on top of the broody and do it there anyway, but shy and retiring ones are easily put off and may start laying in the run, which is obviously not ideal. Then it can become a habit which may be hard to break.