Moving a setting hen?

[Cass]

Thanks for all the tips/advice. My son would love nothing better than to do "all the work" to get more chicks, but of course that means I will be doing most of it, LOL Well, first things first, we will get her isolated so no new eggs are added and then go from there.

You are welcome. I usually am on the NY Chicken lover's thread, if you need to find me to PM. (To PM <personal message> you just hover over their name anywhere and "PM" is a choice in the drop down menu that shows up) Or you can just join in over there ....everyone over there is willing to answer newbie's questions and a lot of them have far more experience than I do. here, this will help you find us. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/231485/ny-chicken-lover/21540#post_11280767

You could go to the forum directory and find the OK people under the "I am here, where are you" area.

Good luck with your hatch. I'm sure your son will enjoy every minute, except for the smell of the broody's poo. LOL

 

[chickydee64]

Hi.
Had a success tonight so thought I would report it.
Moved Broody that had settled about 6 days into a large dog kennel,
Gave her 12 shipped eggs..She tried hard to get out until she discovered the eggs. Then she literally plopped on them.
It was toooo funny.......checked her twice and she was zoned out..........content
with her new home.
You just never know what a hens reaction is going to be.....
This is a first clutch for her .Pretty little Blue Wyandotte hatching silver laced.
12 to her and 12 in the incubator............It will be interesting to see how the hatch finishes.
I'm betting on the broody.................

 

[CajunKenny]

I just had my first chick hatch. Only 1 out of 4 eggs. My problem is that the other hens are treating mom like a new addition. An outsider... As soon as she left the nest for the first time with the chick, they beat on her till her comb had bled all over her head. This only took about 5 minutes to happen.

I was able to get in there and kick the other chickens out of the run to assess the damage. She was ok, just a little cut on the comb. The chick managed to make it despite the 4 or 5 peck blows from the others.

I have since isolated mom and chick from the others inside the run.

My question is, when/how should I eventually re-introduce them to the flock? This new mother has always been at the bottom of the pecking order.

 

[Stang65fst]

I have a hen that has been sitting since early May. Our first chick hatch out so I made her a little box down low and moved the other 5 eggs and the chick. The hen was growling at me and the hen jumped down and sat on her eggs and tucked her chick under her wing. Seemed a little to easy. I did it in the late afternoon.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

We have enough broodys wanting eggs right now that I needed to move them out of the nesting boxes they had bolted themselves to. I got the new spots all set up in wire cages inside the coop -- with eggs, because we hadn't allowed any to keep eggs so far -- expecting to move them at night, but my partner moved them in the middle of the day. The hens were not having any of it. So after my partner left I opened the cages to let them go where they wanted, spent the afternoon making their new nesting area even nicer and darker with privacy screens, and moved them at about midnight. They all settled right into their new spots and were still sitting nicely this morning at about 8. Phew.

In three weeks we're going to have a LOT of chicks.

 

[fingbob]

We have enough broodys wanting eggs right now that I needed to move them out of the nesting boxes they had bolted themselves to. I got the new spots all set up in wire cages inside the coop -- with eggs, because we hadn't allowed any to keep eggs so far -- expecting to move them at night, but my partner moved them in the middle of the day. The hens were not having any of it. So after my partner left I opened the cages to let them go where they wanted, spent the afternoon making their new nesting area even nicer and darker with privacy screens, and moved them at about midnight. They all settled right into their new spots and were still sitting nicely this morning at about 8. Phew.

In three weeks we're going to have a LOT of chicks.

I more than likely would have given them 3 eggs each and hoped only 2 made it.

 

[lauragutknecht]

I would just put on a pair of heavy gloves (to avoid getting pecked) and quickly grab her and put her in the new box, followed by the chicks. She will soon be okay with the new box as long as she has her brood with her.

 

[Iluvmallards]

I had 2 broody's and had to move both because the older hens would jump on them and run them off their eggs, so I put them in a pen by their selfs, and they stayed on their eggs and hatched around the same time, the chicks are about 2weeks old, I started to let them out in the yard about 3 days ago and they both stick together with chicks and if any of the other hens get near, they kick their butts, now the hens with no chicks just stay away, rooster stays away also, no one wants to take on those mamas

 

[Cass]

I have a hen that has been sitting since early May. Our first chick hatch out so I made her a little box down low and moved the other 5 eggs and the chick. The hen was growling at me and the hen jumped down and sat on her eggs and tucked her chick under her wing. Seemed a little to easy. I did it in the late afternoon.

Cute chick.

Some hens are just more laid back that others. You didn't get "lucky", except in the fact that you got a good hen. And you did it at a time when the hen would be going to "bed" normally.

Good work on your part.


To anyone starting out and still trying to figure out nest box situation. Whatever you choose for nest boxes, make sure they are independently moveable. That way if a hen decides to sit in the favorite nest box you can move her to another location, box and all. Don't put something back into the favorite spot for a few days, until she has adjusted to where you moved her too, however or she will leave her eggs and go back to the original spot.

 

[RetiredRN]

I would move her because she'll need to be by herself when the chicks start hatching. I've had to move my broody buff orpington on many occasions - I don't have a rooster and in the past when I've "borrowed" fertilized eggs, I've wound up with mostly roosters. This year I sacrificed two regular eggs and let her sit on them in the main box for about 3 days and then I moved her to an separate enclosure - she ignored the eggs and sat off of the nest so I kept trying for several days and finally she settled down on the eggs. During the third week I bought six newly hatched pullets and put them under her, three at a time, while I removed the eggs. She was surprised to say the least! But she immediately went into mothering mode. She's raised several batches on chicks and is a very good Mother! But she becomes VERY hostile towards the other hens when she has chicks so I would definitely give her separate space.