Broody hen in my shed

[jmdix22]

One of my BO hens has gone broody...not in the coop, in my shed? She's sitting on atleast 2-3 eggs minimum. It's low 30's at night here and going to be getting colder. Can I move the eggs to the coop or will this mess her up? I know it's cold and these are the first of my eggs but I don't want to mess up her natural cycle. If she wants to raise chicks going into winter then I won't stop her! What can I do to help her though!

 

[trudyg]

She picked a spot she liked. I'd leave her there if possible

 

[jmdix22]

Ok. Do you think once the chicks hatch they will be ok there with her? It's the 'lean to' on my shed where I keep my mower and some junk. It's open on the front. Do you think I could build a small box to put over her so they can be more protected? Also, how do I keep my other hens from laying there from now on?

 

[jmdix22]

Update. Nevermind! When I got home this evening she was back in the coop! We candled all the eggs and saw no embryos forming so we will put some in the nesting boxes to encourage laying in the desired area. Just for my own knowledge would chicks be ok in the environment she was in? Even in the cold.

 

[aart]

Update. Nevermind! When I got home this evening she was back in the coop! We candled all the eggs and saw no embryos forming so we will put some in the nesting boxes to encourage laying in the desired area. Just for my own knowledge would chicks be ok in the environment she was in? Even in the cold.

What is your climate?
Putting your location in your profile can help folks give better answers/suggestions.

They can brood in the cold, but I wouldn't recommend it.
I let one go last Jan/Feb during extreme cold and it worked out OK, but I kept a very close eye on them and I wouldn't do it again.
Extreme temps can severely reduce any margin of error for mishaps.

Predator protection and reintegration with the flock might have been other issues with where she was.

There's lots of different ways to manage a broody hen and the subsequent offspring(especially the inevitable males), IMO it's best to plan ahead.
I prefer to have them separated only by wire from the flock to reduce intrusion problems during incubation and assist in integration.
Then when chicks are well on their feet, eating and drinking in a creep area, remove wire barrier so mama can integrate them into the flock.

Here's plethora of techniques, examples, and experiences to browse thru and ask questions: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/496101/broody-hen-thread