Should I move my broody hen?

[KToddy]

You asked if you should move her. This will depend on your set up, and what you want to do. Your concern about the other hens breaking her broodiness is one thing I don't think you need to worry about. I have had hens lowest on the pecking order stay broody when left loose, but occasionally if there are other nests with eggs near the broody can change nests. If she seems to be sticking to the right nest other hens will still lay in the nest. You can solve this by marking the eggs she started with and remove all other eggs daily. If you choose to move her she needs to be in a place where she can not get back to the original nest. I put my broodies in dog kennels inside my coop. That way no one adds eggs and returning to the flock is easier. I open the kennels every morning. The hens take their break and then return to their nests. If the hen returns to their original nest then I simply pick them up and put them back in their cage. In my one coop I often start leaving the cage door open once the hen begins returning to the cage instead of her original nest.

Does the chick food/chick waterer need to be protected from the rest of the flock? My adult birds seem to devour it otherwise.. I have my brooder still occupied with 4 week old chicks and their surrogate Serama-mama… then the biological silky mother became broody right after & I moved her to the coop floor. I just picked up some one day old chicks to put under silky mama on the coop floor. What should I do?? Evict serama-mama and chicks - the whole nest box to a new corner and place Silky-mama with her nest box and slip under the chicks tonight? Or slip the chicks under Silky-mama where she has been and move her later?

 

[Yardmom]

It doesn't hurt adults to eat chick food. I use an all flock crumble with oyster/egg shells on the side for everyone in my coop with constant chicks .

 

[Carters Chick House]

My hen Pancakes just went broody if she remains on the eggs for another day or two, what should we do? We want her to hatch them, so should we move her to a seperate area to hatch the eggs or leave her in the coop nesting boxes with other hens? I’m worried they may try to kick her off of the eggs and cause her to stop being broody. If we should move her, please lmk how to do so and where to put

My hen Pancakes just went broody if she remains on the eggs for another day or two, what should we do? We want her to hatch them, so should we move her to a seperate area to hatch the eggs or leave her in the coop nesting boxes with other hens? I’m worried they may try to kick her off of the eggs and cause her to stop being broody. If we should move her, please lmk how to do so and where to put her

I understand your concern. The broody thing was new to me as well. Everyone has their own style. I will tell you what I did. First,I marked the eggs that I wanted her to hatch. I left her where she was until the eggs hatched. She would get off the nest to eat and go potty. One of my other hens would get into her box and lay her egg. I would remove that egg when the broody hen returned to the nest. When the chicks hatched I put them and the broody into an enclosed pen inside the coop. I placed food,water and a small pan of dirt inside the pen. My flock could see but not touch. After a week, when my other hens had finished laying I would close off the coop and open the pen door so broody hen could bring them out for some exercise. Night time broody hen and chicks went back into the pen to sleep. When the chicks were two weeks old the hen brought chicks out to meet the flock. I was nervous but did not stop her. She and another hen had a scuffle which I stopped right away. The chicks stayed very close to broody hen. Third week they are all outside during the day with the flock. Today they are a month old and all is well. No fighting. Night time I help the chicks find their place on the roost. The broody hen sleeps in the rafters while her chicks are on the roost below the other hens. Just keep an eye out and see how your other chickens react to them. Good luck and enjoy.