Another broody ? for ddawn, gryeyes, others experienced w/broodies

[gritsar]

I am eagerly anticipating my SF hatching her chicks. She still has 13 days to go, but still....

In her crate, she has made her nest (of hay) inside the bottom of a large cat litter box. I know I need to move her and her nest out of the box bottom and remove it before the chicks hatch; otherwise the chicks could fall or get stuck outside the box and not be able to return to mama.

I know one of y'all told me when it would be best to do this, but I can't find that thread and I'm too senile to remember when it was.

When would be the best time to remove the litter box bottom and just have her in the crate, on the hay? She was very upset when I first moved her into the crate, that's why I let her keep the box bottom. Should I do it now or wait until she is closer to her hatch date?

I don't want to cut the side out of the bottom, because I would like to be able to continue to use the litter box as a nestbox. At the rate I'm going with these broodies, I need all the nestboxes I can get.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

When Blondie went broody, she did so in the recycle box. Once the chicks hatched and she was ready to leave the box, I built up the hay against the low side, the babies jumped right out.


Babies did not try to leave until Blondie did. Here she is, you can see the food/water and the edge of the box. Once the family left the box, I removed it and it went back to being a laying box.

 

[gritsar]

Thanks Horsefeathers

 

[gryeyes]

I never took Shirley out of the litter box. Like HorseFeatherz, I just added more shavings a handful at a time each time I checked Shirley and eggs near the end of her "confinement" and once the chicks hatched. Shirley didn't bring them out for three days, and they were quite able to hop out on their own by then. I did have one little chick I had to put back into the COOP when it was outside cheeping like heck and Shirley and the other chicks were settled inside the coop, inside their litter box nest. As soon as I captured it and dropped it in the coop, it ran right to the litter box and jumped in.

 

[gritsar]

Thanks Linda