Can you have a semi broody chicken?

[Belgianchocolates]

One of my chickens went through a month of broodiness in autumn. Luckily she snapped out of it by herself, maybe it was the change of season that made her snap out of it.
Anyway this same hen now spends half the day on her nest. We don't see her until about 1pm and then she comes off and starts scratching around and acting like a normal chicken.
Is she starting to get broody? Is she just having a long ly-in? What could explain this behaviour? Any ideas? Thanks.

Apparently, you can get a semi-broody. Not happened to me yet but been reading about them on the Omlet forum.

Mine's been doing this. I rather dimly thought that as a new layer it was taking a long time to lay and that her growling was energetic egg laying!

I have now taken to putting on strong gardening gloves and hoiking her out of the eglu once she's laid. She's not impressed but forgets about that pretty quickly!

so pleased to find this thread! one of mine spent the day in her nest yesterday and I couldnt' coax her out - then she was clucking about like normal trying to get through the cat flap by evening. was worried she was poorly but maybe she's a semi broody girl.

i have one that regularly does this for months on end ..apparently you get them out and put them under abucket on a concrete or patio type surface for afew hrs and the sitting on the cold hard surface snaps them out of it . don't flame me i hven't actually done this but all the local country folk round me say this is the best way