Help!! Broody hen and eggs disaster!

[Sagey_7878]

I need help guys! I’m in Australia and I had a broody Sussex sitting on eggs for about day 16 it is now. For the past few days, she had been getting off often for 5-25 mins but then goes back on comes off, the cycle repeats. Today she had enough and so did I. She was off for at least an hour and her 8 fertile eggs were getting cold. Conveniently, I have a broody araucana who has started to be broody in the past few days in the main coop. The Sussex was in the broody coop but I moved her back to the main flock. I put the araucana in the broody coop in hope she would sit, I waited 10 mins and she didn’t, so I moved her back to the main coop and she say on her nest almost straight away. I moved all the eggs under her and she is now keeping them warm. What do I do?! Do I move her tonight to the broody coop or do I let her hatch her in the main and move when they hatch? I’ve never hatched chicks in the main coop, only different coops. I really need help and I’m so stressed, the eggs are nearly going to hatch! Thank you in advance

 

[JaeG]

You need to move her at night in the dark so that she wakes up in the broody coop thinking that's where she's been all along. Your Araucana may not look after the chicks once they hatch because she has only been broody for such a short period of time. She'll be in sitting mode, not mothering mode and her hormones will be telling her to keep sitting despite the fact chicks have suddenly appeared. But your Sussex, if she is still broody, may decide she will look after them. But you'll need to be prepared to brood them yourself in case all else fails.

 

[Rose Quartz]

I had to move my broodies out of the main coop, one was extremely stubborn. I ended up moving her in the nest box while sitting on the eggs, to the broody coop. That was a last ditch effort and it finally worked. So, maybe, if that's even possible you could try that.

 

[Sagey_7878]

You need to move her at night in the dark so that she wakes up in the broody coop thinking that's where she's been all along. Your Araucana may not look after the chicks once they hatch because she has only been broody for such a short period of time. She'll be in sitting mode, not mothering mode and her hormones will be telling her to keep sitting despite the fact chicks have suddenly appeared. But your Sussex, if she is still broody, may decide she will look after them. But you'll need to be prepared to brood them yourself in case all else fails.

Thank you so much! What if I move her and she doesn’t stay broody? I’ve done moves before and it usually works. Sussex isn’t broody. Do you strongly advise I move her tonight? I’m really worried, thanks again.

 

[JaeG]

Thank you so much! What if I move her and she doesn’t stay broody? I’ve done moves before and it usually works. Sussex isn’t broody. Do you strongly advise I move her tonight? I’m really worried, thanks again.

If you are worried she won't settle you could rig up a barrier in the coop so that the other hens can't disturb her but she has access to food and water and a little bit of space to get off the nest to poop and stretch her legs. You just don't want another hen pushing her out of the nest (to lay an egg) and potentially breaking one of your precious eggs that are so close to hatching. Even a bit of chicken wire would do the trick.

 

[Sagey_7878]

If you are worried she won't settle you could rig up a barrier in the coop so that the other hens can't disturb her but she has access to food and water and a little bit of space to get off the nest to poop and stretch her legs. You just don't want another hen pushing her out of the nest (to lay an egg) and potentially breaking one of your precious eggs that are so close to hatching. Even a bit of chicken wire would do the trick.

Thanks for this idea, I’m just worried they’ll break them or disturb her or something. I can move the araucana tonight? I also have chicken wire but the coop is a shed and the nest boxes are connected and they jump on top of the boxes to get to another one (I don’t know why but they like it). I’ll attach a pictures so you can see, araucana is in the 1st nest box.

 

[JaeG]

It's worth trying to move her as it sounds like that would be simpler. that she settles into her new nest without protest.

 

[Sagey_7878]

It's worth trying to move her as it sounds like that would be simpler. that she settles into her new nest without protest.

Hopefully! I’m going to do it tonight, I really hope it works.

 

[Sagey_7878]

I moved her and the eggs! Hopefully tomorrow morning she stays on them! All I need is for them to hatch and if she doesn’t want to look after them that’s fine with me,!I will.

 

[ktomacie]

Good luck!!