My hen is broody

[Paz]

So one of my hens became broody and I think I’ll let her sit, but the others want to lay in “her” spot. Can I just move her with a bunch of eggs to the baby coop and she’ll do fine?
When I took her eggs a couple of weeks ago (she was broody back then) she stopped sitting and went doing her usual thing, so I wonder if she’ll keep sitting if I moved her.

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

So one of my hens became broody and I think I’ll let her sit, but the others want to lay in “her” spot. Can I just move her with a bunch of eggs to the baby coop and she’ll do fine?
When I took her eggs a couple of weeks ago (she was broody back then) she stopped sitting and went doing her usual thing, so I wonder if she’ll keep sitting if I moved her.

Maybe take some unfertile or fake eggs and move her if she continues sitting then give her fertile eggs. Just be prepared to move the eggs to a incubator if she stops sitting.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The way I determine if a hen is a committed broody that deserves eggs is that she spends two consecutive nights on the nest. One night is not enough. What she does during the day is not enough. Many hens look and act broody but are not really committed.

I don't know what your coop looks like, how many nests you have, how much room you have, or how many chickens you have. That kind of stuff would influence my decision on what to do. I see that you have two basic options.

The way I do it is to mark the eggs I want the hen to hatch so I can tell at a glance which eggs belong (I use a black Sharpie). After the others have laid for the day I check under the broody and remove any eggs that don't belong. As long as you remove them daily you can use them to eat.

The other option is to lock her in a nest until the eggs hatch. You need an area for the nest, food, water, and a bit of room to poop. Many people build a separate "pen" for this, in the coop or elsewhere. Some people build a pen around her current nest. This depends on what your nest and coop look like. The idea is that she is separated from all the other hens until the eggs hatch. She can't get out and they can't get in.

I don't know which is the best option for you. There are risks no matter which way you go.

 

[Paz]

The way I determine if a hen is a committed broody that deserves eggs is that she spends two consecutive nights on the nest. One night is not enough. What she does during the day is not enough. Many hens look and act broody but are not really committed.

I don't know what your coop looks like, how many nests you have, how much room you have, or how many chickens you have. That kind of stuff would influence my decision on what to do. I see that you have two basic options.

The way I do it is to mark the eggs I want the hen to hatch so I can tell at a glance which eggs belong (I use a black Sharpie). After the others have laid for the day I check under the broody and remove any eggs that don't belong. As long as you remove them daily you can use them to eat.

The other option is to lock her in a nest until the eggs hatch. You need an area for the nest, food, water, and a bit of room to poop. Many people build a separate "pen" for this, in the coop or elsewhere. Some people build a pen around her current nest. This depends on what your nest and coop look like. The idea is that she is separated from all the other hens until the eggs hatch. She can't get out and they can't get in.

I don't know which is the best option for you. There are risks no matter which way you go.

The current nest is raised, I have two nests and they’re both raised, which I guess could be problematic for the chicks if she hatches them.
I have a large dog crate inside the coop, which is where the chicks live when I have chicks. Mathilda used to just steal the eggs and place them in her own nest, but my current broody is much less experienced… there are 9 layers, two pensioners and a cock.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The current nest is raised, I have two nests and they’re both raised, which I guess could be problematic for the chicks if she hatches them.

I've seen a hen get her chicks down from a 3 meter (10 feet) high hayloft. She said jump and they did, then bounced up and ran to her. It doesn't bother me for a hen to hatch in a nest 60 cm to 120 cm (2 to 4 feet) off of the coop floor. She can get them down. It means they will not go back to the nests at night. My broody hens take their chicks to sleep on the coop floor. That appears to be a lot more of a problem to humans than it does to broody hens.

I have a large dog crate inside the coop, which is where the chicks live when I have chicks. Mathilda used to just steal the eggs and place them in her own nest, but my current broody is much less experienced… there are 9 layers, two pensioners and a cock.

In your circumstances with only two nests and that many hens I'd probably try to set that crate up as a hatchery. Add a nest, food, and water. Move her in there at night with the eggs and see if she will accept the move. To me that is one of the bigger risks, she might not accept the move. But most do. Be a bit patient and give her time.

I wish you luck.

 

[TOR]

If the hen moves and she is a proven sitter, I have the eggs marked and move the eggs to her.I found much easier to move the eggs than the hen. Things go really haywire I will go down to the farm store and buy couple chicks. Go in at night and give them the chicks.

 

[Paz]

I've seen a hen get her chicks down from a 3 meter (10 feet) high hayloft. She said jump and they did, then bounced up and ran to her. It doesn't bother me for a hen to hatch in a nest 60 cm to 120 cm (2 to 4 feet) off of the coop floor. She can get them down. It means they will not go back to the nests at night. My broody hens take their chicks to sleep on the coop floor. That appears to be a lot more of a problem to humans than it does to broody hens.


In your circumstances with only two nests and that many hens I'd probably try to set that crate up as a hatchery. Add a nest, food, and water. Move her in there at night with the eggs and see if she will accept the move. To me that is one of the bigger risks, she might not accept the move. But most do. Be a bit patient and give her time.

I wish you luck.

Yes, I have two nests, but they always use the same one, I tried giving them laying boxes and such but they never used them, they like the old, open plastic box. Hahaha.
Thank a lot!

 

[Paz]

I went to move her with the nest at night but she didn’t even sit on the eggs…