Broody and Broken Eggs

[JacksonPearce]

I had thirteen eggs under my broody Orpington, and sadly, it looks like three have been broken/eaten (she was eating the remains of one broken one's shell when I went to check). It's not a shocker, since the other hens keep laying in her box-- but I tried moving her and she wouldn't have any of it. Any suggestions on how I can keep the remaining eggs from being wrecked? My options seem to be:

-Move two of the chickens out of the coop and into a smaller one we've got. There will still be two remaining in the coop with her.
-Leave her and hope for the best.
-Try to section her box and part of the henhouse off from the others. She would not have a way out of the henhouse in this case, but I could put food and water in her "section". It'd be fairly small.

And lastly, should I wash off the remaining eggs? They're covered in yolk/etc, and I worry she'll be tempted to peck at them and break them on her own!

Any thoughts? They're very nice hatching eggs, so I really hate to see them smashed!

 

[Poultry parent]

I'd try to section her off

 

[chickens really]

If her first time hatching you have too many for her to set and she is stressing...Remove eggs and set about 7 under her....Hope she is separated from others and allowed to set?

 

[JacksonPearce]

If her first time hatching you have too many for her to set and she is stressing...Remove eggs and set about 7 under her....Hope she is separated from others and allowed to set?

We tried separating her and she was VERY unhappy. When we moved her back into the main coop, she went back to setting, happy as a clam. I have her sectioned off now though and I think it'll work, so long as I give the others enough free range time that they don't get bored and start meddling with the wire!

 

[Poultry parent]

Just so you know, chicks can fit through chicken wire. I like to use hardware cloth since they can't get through it

 

[JacksonPearce]

Just so you know, chicks can fit through chicken wire. I like to use hardware cloth since they can't get through it

Thanks! When they hatch, I'm going to have to move her to our small (hardware cloth) coop. Chicken wire in the henhouse is definitely just a temporary thing!