First broody. I think I need to move her. Advice appreciated!

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

Hi all! I have my first broody hen, and we've decided to let her hatch some eggs. My philosophy is that I want this to happen as naturally as possible. I'd prefer not to interfere, but at the same time, I don't want any tragedies to occur as a result of her man-made envrionment not being suitable. And for that reason, I think I need to move her. I've done lots of research and I think I know what to do, but would appreciate any advice from those more experienced than I.

My first question is, do you agree that I shold move her?
Velma is a 9 month old Wyandotte. She'd been hinting at being broody for at least a month, and then one day she just stuck it. This is her first time being broody. She is sitting on 4 eggs that are on day 7. As of day 4, they all appear to be developing. She is in a nestbox that is about 11" x 11" and approximately 18" off the ground.

In spite of the fact that she's taking up what we refer to as the penthouse suite (it's the most popular), the other hens seem to have all relented to using the other boxes. I'd be happy to let her stay and hatch here, but I'm worried about babies falling out. If a hatching baby falls out, it could freeze to death, right? (Coop temp has been ranging 30-50 degreses depending on time of day -- could get colder). Also, when they all leave the box, it's quite a drop and there's a step they could easily hit on the way down. The box also seems to be tight confines to me, but maybe I'm just being worrying too much. For these reasons, I think I should move her. Would you agree? Or would you let her hatch here?

The plan for moving her is to keep her in the coop, but move her to a plastic dog crate that is approximately 14" x 24". The crate is already set up in the coop as it acts as an extra nest box although no one uses it anymore. But it's not unfamiliar to her. The plan was to put her in the crate and lock her in the for the night. In the morning we were going to decide if we could open the crate, or if we should put food & water inside with her and keep her locked in for the first day. My questions about moving her are as follows: What signs should I look for that she is or is not taking to the new nest? How long can she be off the eggs during the transition? (Coop temps range 30-50 depending on time of day). At what point would I give up on her and put the eggs in an incubator?

Okay, and then there is this incubator thing... This is a whole other ballgame. I don't truly want to learn how to incubate. But if she abandons the nest because I interfered, I feel responsible to take over as the new broody mama. Admittedly, I have not done my homework on incubating. But I will. But I have one primary question here. If I don't need the incubator, I'd like to return it. Can I keep the incubator in the box during this process and set it up when/if needed? Or does it require a significant amount of time to get warmed up, etc...? In other words, must I have it set up and ready to go before I attempt to move her?

Thanks so much for reading and sharing your experience. Those are my immediate questions, as we're planning to do this today or tomorrow so I'll be home to keep an eye on her (I'm on COVID quarantine). Next week I return to work and will be in full "separation anxiety" mode being away from my flock.

I also have some future questions for after she hatches about my coop set up. What happens after the eggs begin hatching? How long after they begin hatching does mama take the babies out into the world? And does she bring them back to the nest or might she chose a new place to snuggle the babies? I ask these questions because the door from the coop to the run is about 2' (maybe a little more) off the ground. The first pic below shows the height. The second pic shows what the ladder looks like now. The chicks will not be able to get in and out of the coop with the current set up. Should I build a ramp instead of a ladder? Will mama try to take the babies back in and out of the coop throughout the day? Option #2 is to use the plastic dog crate and put them in the garden after hatching. They will have their own space but still be next to the run so everyone can see each other. The garden is fenced with chicken wire. Can new babies (standard size fowl) fit through chicken wire?

Thanks for your help!

 

[sourland]

An 18" drop is nothing to chicks. It has been my experience that hens imprint more on the nest site than on eggs. If you move her to another spot in the coop, she may very well try to go back to her old nest site. As long as the other hens are not bothering her, I'd leave her where she is and put either a higher lip or temporary front on her nest box around day 20. Good luck for a successful hatch.

 

[Sussex19]

I have not had any luck moving broodys, so I leave them where they are.
When I have tried, they just don't settle, and keep trying to get back, I then let them, and they carried on in the old spot without issue.
As long as there is room for her to lay eggs, there is enough room for her to brood them.
If I want to move them, I will do it once they have hatched, at this point it always has worked very well.

I also have some future questions for after she hatches about my coop set up. What happens after the eggs begin hatching? How long after they begin hatching does mama take the babies out into the world? And does she bring them back to the nest or might she chose a new place to snuggle the babies?

With mine they wait around two, sometimes three days. And they do normally come back to the nest, but can be quite happy to settle somewhere else
Just be careful if the mother can get back, but the babes can't, as it has happed that mum will go back, and can't work out why the chicks aren't with her.

Should I build a ramp instead of a ladder? Will mama try to take the babies back in and out of the coop throughout the day?

Mine go out in the morning, and don't go back until the evening, if you are around at that time, you can just lift them up.
Even if you build a ramp, it will take them a few days to work it out.

The garden is fenced with chicken wire. Can new babies (standard size fowl) fit through chicken wire?

Yes, if your chicken wire is the same as mine, but as long as the mother can't, they won't go far.
If I missed anything, feel free to ask!

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

An 18" drop is nothing to chicks. It has been my experience that hens imprint more on the nest site than on eggs. If you move her to another spot in the coop, she may very well try to go back to her old nest site. As long as the other hens are not bothering her, I'd leave her where she is and put either a higher lip or temporary front on her nest box around day 20. Good luck for a successful hatch.

Thank you.

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

@Sussex19
Thank you for your thorough reply. Very helpful! Between the responses I got here and some further reading, I think I am going to leave her where she is.

I will add a small board across the front of the box when it gets closer to hatch time to make it a little safer as @sourland suggested. But do you think it would be okay to move her to the floor of the coop once they hatch? I read somewhere that once at least 1 chick hatches, mom will attach to the chick and not the nest site and will be more agreeable to moving.

Should I be concerned about the babies falling out of the coop? (2’ - 2.5’ drop). The ground is sand. I can put down straw for extra protection, but I can’t guarantee another chicken won’t scratch it out of the way immediately. I’ll be home to put them back in the coop in the evening, but I leave for work in the AM before the chickens are up, so they’ll be on their own coming out of the coop.

 

[Sussex19]

@Sussex19
Thank you for your thorough reply. Very helpful! Between the responses I got here and some further reading, I think I am going to leave her where she is.

I will add a small board across the front of the box when it gets closer to hatch time to make it a little safer as @sourland suggested. But do you think it would be okay to move her to the floor of the coop once they hatch? I read somewhere that once at least 1 chick hatches, mom will attach to the chick and not the nest site and will be more agreeable to moving.

Should I be concerned about the babies falling out of the coop? (2’ - 2.5’ drop). The ground is sand. I can put down straw for extra protection, but I can’t guarantee another chicken won’t scratch it out of the way immediately. I’ll be home to put them back in the coop in the evening, but I leave for work in the AM before the chickens are up, so they’ll be on their own coming out of the coop.

Glad I could help!
Certainly once they have all hatched, you can move them, I'm not sure when there are still some to go. It may change the humidity, which could cause issues.
I think that drop should be ok, but to be honest I haven't tried it, so can't really say. If you did make a ramp, then they could slide down.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My first question is, do you agree that I shold move her?

It is a personal choice but I don't see any strong reasons that you should. I agree the height is not an issue. Mine hatch in nests 3' to 4' above the coop floor all the time. They have no problems getting down.

Thanks for the photo, it helped. I've only had a problem with chicks falling out one time, that was when I let a hen hatch in a nest made from a cat litter bucket 4 feet above the coop floor. That nest was open topped and measured 11-1/2" x 7-1/2". The 7-1/2" dimension was too small. Baby chicks sometimes like to climb up on Mommy's back while they are waiting for the late ones to hatch. In this nest, when they fell off they missed the nest and fell to the coop floor. Four different times I had to pick a chick up off of the floor and put it back in the nest with Mama, probably the same chick. The chick was not hurt by the fall and the other hens did not bother it. Sometimes another hen is a risk. The only time my hens went into the coop was to lay an egg. If they were hanging out in the coop during the day I'd have been more worried about them. From your photo I think your hen is sitting far enough from the edge so if a chick does climb up on Mama it will stay in the nest if it falls off of her back. In Maryland hopefully your flock will be able to stay outside during the day.

Those would be my two concerns about letting her hatch there. If she were close enough to the edge that the chicks could miss the nest if they actually climb on her and fall off (most don't) or of the other hens spent much time in the coop during the day. If they are in close proximity they can get into more mischief.

If you decide to move her get back to us so we can go over details. The risk in moving her is that she may not accept the move. There are things you can do to help mitigate that risk but you don't get guarantees.

Okay, and then there is this incubator thing, must I have it set up and ready to go before I attempt to move her?

It's not so much the set-up time and warm-up that's the problem, it's more that you need to have it running long enough to make sure it is working right. No matter how expensive or high tech that incubator is sometimes the factory settings just are not right. You may need to adjust the temperature or learn how to control humidity. Which incubator you have could affect that decision too, some are easier than others.

What happens after the eggs begin hatching? How long after they begin hatching does mama take the babies out into the world?

I let the hen decide that. The chicks that have internal pipped start talking to the hen before they external pip to let her know they are coming. The chicks can typically survive over three days (72 hours) after hatch because they absorbed the yolk before hatching so they can wait until the later ones hatch. I've had broody hens bring their chicks off of the nest within 24 hours after the first one hatches, I've had a very few wait the 72 hours.
When the hen leaves the nest she abandons the unhatched eggs. Your coop set-up is different form mine. My broody hens tend to keep the chicks in the coop for two days before she takes them outside so you need food and water on the coop floor where the chicks can get to them. Once she takes them outside they spend all day every day outside, with the hen bringing them back inside to sleep. With my nests up higher they do not return to the nest at night but she settles on the coop floor with them. If there were a nest low enough she might use it at night, she might not.

the door from the coop to the run is about 2' Should I build a ramp instead of a ladder?

That is a problem. How high is the pop door from the coop floor, you may need to do something inside there too. You can build ramps but I don't like ramps for this. What often happens is that the hen hops up to the top of the ramp and calls the chicks. They gather under her on the ground and cannot hop up. They do not know to go to the end of the ramp and walk up. They have to learn that and that can take days. Instead of a ramp I build steps out of bricks and pavers so they can hop up the stairs. You could use wood. The steps are not just at the front but at the sides too so no matter how they approach it they have a way to climb up. Mine is about 1' above the ground and coop floor.

You still have to be out there when Mama is trying to get her chicks in at night. Sometimes one doesn't make it and you have to help.

Will mama try to take the babies back in and out of the coop throughout the day?

Mine do not. Once they go out they stay out. But I have over 3,000 square feet outside, most of it with grass, so they can stay occupied and away from the other chickens. Your set-up is different, I don't know what your hen will do.

Option #2 is to use the plastic dog crate and put them in the garden after hatching. They will have their own space but still be next to the run so everyone can see each other.

I have a 4' x 8' shelter in my run. Your dog crate should be big enough. After the hen brings her chicks off of the nest I usually leave them alone and let Mama handle things. But if the coop is getting pretty crowded I put Mama and the babies in that shelter for two nights (three days) with food and water. Then I let them out to roam with the other chickens during the day. That way Mama can handle integration. At night Mama takes them back to that shelter to sleep. I provide a nest on the ground in that shelter. Mama usually uses it but not always.

The garden is fenced with chicken wire. Can new babies (standard size fowl) fit through chicken wire?

Probably. Chicken wire can come in different sizes but most has holes big enough the chicks can slip through for a couple of weeks. Mine raise them inside electric netting which has really big holes the chicks can get through them until they are about 8 weeks old. Sometimes they do, especially when they get older. Which brings up a point. If the chicks can go somewhere Mama cannot, they are at risk. Mama cannot protect them. If your chicks can get through that chicken wire and back into the run where the older chickens are, they are at risk. Most of my hens don't attack the baby chicks unless the chicks get in their personal space. Even then the hens usually peck them to tell them to go away and the chicks do, runnign back to Mama. But occasionally you can get a hen that will do more than that. My broody hens are really good at protecting their chicks from them but if she cannot get there she can't protect them. Many people isolate their broody hens and chicks from the rest of the flock and would not do it any other way but this is why I don't like separating them. With my set-up what I do works. Other people have different set-ups so different things work for them.

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

Glad I could help!
Certainly once they have all hatched, you can move them, I'm not sure when there are still some to go. It may change the humidity, which could cause issues.
I think that drop should be ok, but to be honest I haven't tried it, so can't really say. If you did make a ramp, then they could slide down.

So I have another question for in the future... and I hope it's not a dumb question... but do I need to be concerned about future inbreeding within my flock as my hatched chicks mature? Either between the papa roo and his daughters or amongst siblings?

 

[Ridgerunner]

do I need to be concerned about future inbreeding within my flock as my hatched chicks mature? Either between the papa roo and his daughters or amongst siblings?

I don't know where you got them or if they are even the same breed, but no, not for a few generations. Hatcheries use techniques to keep genetic diversity high and if they are different breeds genetic diversity could not be higher.

The way all breeds were developed is by inbreeding. The way championship show chickens lines are created is through inbreeding. After they are developed the breeders then use different techniques to maintain genetic diversity but initially they want to eliminate traits they don't want and enforce traits they do want.

One method used for thousands of years with small flocks on a farm is to keep replacement chickens from your flock for a few generations, then bring in an outside rooster to restart genetic diversity. How many generations you can go will depend on how many roosters and how many hens you have in the flock and the randomness of which replacements you keep. Don't keep any defective chickens and be kind of ruthless in selecting which chickens you keep as breeders but you should be good for several generations.

 

[Sussex19]

So I have another question for in the future... and I hope it's not a dumb question... but do I need to be concerned about future inbreeding within my flock as my hatched chicks mature? Either between the papa roo and his daughters or amongst siblings?

It is not dumb question, in fact it is one I asked a while back.
I think Ridgerunner answered pretty much everything. What I'm doing is inbreeding for two or three generations, and then will bring in new blood.

​