Broody hen in late winter

[sakerobot]

This seems to be going well. She was only in box 7 for an hour or so according to my trailcam. She then went back to 1 where she's been sitting on one egg. Once the new nesting box was ready, I took her and the egg and placed her in there. It's made of wood with osb walls to match the style of the one she's been using.

As I went around collecting other eggs, I took 3 that another pullet was sitting on. I might consider adding another egg or two in the morning if I find some fresh one from an admirable pullet, but no more new eggs after that.

That's her enclosure, other chickens can't get in. I'll patch it so that chicks can't get out and maybe add a small ramp to the nesting box.

Thank you for the advice, everyone!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

There haven't been any eggs under her long enough yet, but after considering all the replies I'm going to let her have at it. I'm almost done building a nesting box for her that I hope she'll take to.

Some hen forced her from box 1 to box 7, so if the eggs in 7 are warm then I'll put them into the new box and she can have those.

Use the same bedding as in her originally chosen box. That will assure she takes to them.

This seems to be going well. She was only in box 7 for an hour or so according to my trailcam. She then went back to 1 where she's been sitting on one egg. Once the new nesting box was ready, I took her and the egg and placed her in there. It's made of wood with osb walls to match the style of the one she's been using.

View attachment 4306081
As I went around collecting other eggs, I took 3 that another pullet was sitting on. I might consider adding another egg or two in the morning if I find some fresh one from an admirable pullet, but no more new eggs after that.

View attachment 4306084
That's her enclosure, other chickens can't get in. I'll patch it so that chicks can't get out and maybe add a small ramp to the nesting box.

Thank you for the advice, everyone!

That's a good plan
Be careful to avoid a staggered hatch adding eggs to a clutch already begun

 

[sakerobot]

Use the same bedding as in her originally chosen box. That will assure she takes to them.

That's a good plan
Be careful to avoid a staggered hatch adding eggs to a clutch already begun

It was the same bedding type at least, and it seems she accepted it as at closing she was in the new box in full broody mode. Probably happy to be left alone from the bossy hens who have had nothing else to do due to snow.

I added the 5th egg at closing, so all of these 5 eggs started "incubation" within about a 6 hour window of each other. We don't plan to add any more eggs.