Broody hen- best way to move her?

[ChooksinChoppers]

Finally one of my speckled sussex hens has gone broody (I think) (first time) she has been in the coop all day and when I went to do the afternoon egg check (mine lay all day long) there she was on the most popular nest all hunkered down. That nest is just a pile of clean straw on the floor of the coop (figures) there are 3 other nest boxes milk crates which I think they only use when desperatecause I only find the odd egg or two in them. This will be her first time so I really don't want to put her off if moving her will do that but I have 9 hens and 1 rooster and the coop does not get cleaned as often as it should because I have bad back problems I should move her and give her more eggs to sit on but I don't want to scare her off..nighttime? I will have to physically pick her up and have someone else grab the eggs right? I should explain my coop is a wood paneled storage shed 10x12 and next to it is a built on, same size, horse stall which is now pred proof and enclosed..so I want to move her over there. I am an old and creaky widow so no man around to section off part of the "stall" area for a brooder...maybe I can get a hold of a big dog crate? Thanks for any advice.

 

[ashlierami]

Finally one of my speckled sussex hens has gone broody (I think) (first time) she has been in the coop all day and when I went to do the afternoon egg check (mine lay all day long) there she was on the most popular nest all hunkered down. That nest is just a pile of clean straw on the floor of the coop (figures) there are 3 other nest boxes milk crates which I think they only use when desperatecause I only find the odd egg or two in them. This will be her first time so I really don't want to put her off if moving her will do that but I have 9 hens and 1 rooster and the coop does not get cleaned as often as it should because I have bad back problems I should move her and give her more eggs to sit on but I don't want to scare her off..nighttime? I will have to physically pick her up and have someone else grab the eggs right? I should explain my coop is a wood paneled storage shed 10x12 and next to it is a built on, same size, horse stall which is now pred proof and enclosed..so I want to move her over there. I am an old and creaky widow so no man around to section off part of the "stall" area for a brooder...maybe I can get a hold of a big dog crate? Thanks for any advice.

A box or crate should be fine as long as the area she is in is predator proof. In the later days of her brooding she will come off her nest to eat and poop so you will need to have that available. You can either move the eggs first and bring the hen or move the hen and then take her eggs and place them under her. She will tuck them and shift them where they need to be. They don't have to be taken together. I move my broody girls all the time. Usually any time because they are super friendly and will stay on the eggs. Good luck!

 

[aart]

Big(3x4') dog crate would work.
I move broodies before giving fresh fertile eggs.

Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.


When I have a broody I wait until she's been in the nest most the day and all night for 2-3 days...along with those other signs I posted.

Then I put her in the broody enclosure with fake eggs in the floor nest, she won't like being moved, but if she is truly good and broody she will settle onto the new nest within a half a day.
Then I give her fresh fertile eggs and mark the calendar.

I like them separated by wire from the flock, it's just easier all around.
No having to mark eggs and remove any additions daily, no taking up a laying nest, no going back to the wrong nest after the daily constitutional.