ChookaPete
Songster
- Dec 7, 2024
- 345
- 653
- 196
Here's the context for my question:
Recently I had a broody hen - the other chickens just laid their eggs next to her, despite her vocal annoyance. As there were no fertile eggs, on the eve of the 21st day I placed two newly hatched chicks from the stockfeeds shop underneath my broody hen. I also placed some food and water for them to eat, and hung a mosquito net over the nest to keep them inside.
I left them alone for most of the 21st day, and prevented the rest of the flock from bothering them by locking them up in the coop - they actually broke out by the late afternoon! But by then they had already laid their eggs in the new nesting boxes, so they no longer went to the old nesting place where the broody hen was.
A day later, I shifted the mother hen and her chicks to a tent I had set up as a maternity ward. They spent two weeks in there, then I started letting them out during the day. They would go back to the maternity ward at night. Two nights ago I shifted them to the coop to sleep with the rest of the flock (inside the cardboard box they were nesting in while they were in the maternity ward). Last night I found them lost, nesting in a large hole in my backyard. So I transferred them to the coop - instead of the cardboard box they bedded down in one of the nesting boxes. They are out in the yard again today having a great time, but I will watch where they go to bed down for the night this evening, and guide them back to the coop if they get lost again.
My apologies if that was too long a backstory!
In future, I'd like to put a broody hen in a dedicated maternity ward nest that is part of the coop sleeping area, rather than use the tent. But how do I transfer said broody hen and have her accept the maternity ward as her nesting site?
Recently I had a broody hen - the other chickens just laid their eggs next to her, despite her vocal annoyance. As there were no fertile eggs, on the eve of the 21st day I placed two newly hatched chicks from the stockfeeds shop underneath my broody hen. I also placed some food and water for them to eat, and hung a mosquito net over the nest to keep them inside.
I left them alone for most of the 21st day, and prevented the rest of the flock from bothering them by locking them up in the coop - they actually broke out by the late afternoon! But by then they had already laid their eggs in the new nesting boxes, so they no longer went to the old nesting place where the broody hen was.
A day later, I shifted the mother hen and her chicks to a tent I had set up as a maternity ward. They spent two weeks in there, then I started letting them out during the day. They would go back to the maternity ward at night. Two nights ago I shifted them to the coop to sleep with the rest of the flock (inside the cardboard box they were nesting in while they were in the maternity ward). Last night I found them lost, nesting in a large hole in my backyard. So I transferred them to the coop - instead of the cardboard box they bedded down in one of the nesting boxes. They are out in the yard again today having a great time, but I will watch where they go to bed down for the night this evening, and guide them back to the coop if they get lost again.
My apologies if that was too long a backstory!
In future, I'd like to put a broody hen in a dedicated maternity ward nest that is part of the coop sleeping area, rather than use the tent. But how do I transfer said broody hen and have her accept the maternity ward as her nesting site?
