Broody hen.

[Antcohan]

I have a blue cochin bantam that i think is wanting to sit but i keep collecting the eggs. Today i let her have 8 eggs im going to wait a few days to see if she really wants to sit. But if she does could i put her in a 2ft by 2ft wire rabbit cage with wood shavings with a little feeder and water bowl. I have a pen that i built but it currently has a momma hen with 2 chicks and 5 eggs that haven't hatched yet.

 

[Sleek28]

Leave the mom where she is. You risk her leaving the nest if you move her

 

[Antcohan]

Well i would love to leave her where she is but she is in with roosters that are kind of aggressive and would probably end up hurting or killing the chicks so i think its best to move her. I will be watching closely and if she leave them they will go straight in to my incubator but i doubt see will i have been moveing her off the eggs and out the coop and she runs right back to her eggs after ive takeb them out and put them in a small bucket.

 

[Antcohan]

Thank you though!

 

[BoyTheRooster]

Depends on the hen if you can move her or not. Some hens will remain broody if you shift them, some won't.
The sooner you move her once she starts sitting the better. Since you currently already have a hen and chicks where you are planning to shift her, I would wait until that space is free to use before really encouraging your cochin to sit.
It's better to set your broodys up in the correct space before they start sitting on eggs, rather than trying to move them in the middle of sitting, less ways for things to go wrong then

 

[Antcohan]

sitting

Thanks how big of an area does a a broody hen need. The current pen i have i think is 5ft by 5ft. Could it be a little smaller? I might be able to build smaller one tomorrow for her. If i cant i guess ill have to move the eggs the incubator maybe try and give her some when the pen is empty. I think she will make a wonderful mom.

 

[BoyTheRooster]

Thanks how big of an area does a a broody hen need. The current pen i have i think is 5ft by 5ft. Could it be a little smaller? I might be able to build smaller one tomorrow for her. If i cant i guess ill have to move the eggs the incubator maybe try and give her some when the pen is empty. I think she will make a wonderful mom.

Broody hens don't need that much space. They need a well sheltered nest box, with enough space to get off the nest every few days to eat and go toilet. Once the chicks hatch you can move your hen and chicks to a larger area if needed

We use an old hutch as a temporary home for our broody hens. The enclosed part of the hutch is about 1.5 ft squared, and the outside part (still fully enclosed) is about 3 ft long and 1.5ft wide. We wait about 2 maybe 3 days after the chicks have hatched to move them all to a larger fully enclosed pen (also a converted hutch)

 

[Antcohan]

Thanks i will try and build one today about 3ft by 3ft if i can.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I have a blue cochin bantam that i think is wanting to sit but i keep collecting the eggs. Today i let her have 8 eggs im going to wait a few days to see if she really wants to sit. But if she does could i put her in a 2ft by 2ft wire rabbit cage with wood shavings with a little feeder and water bowl. I have a pen that i built but it currently has a momma hen with 2 chicks and 5 eggs that haven't hatched yet.

If the hen is in a nest box that can be picked up and moved as a unit, hen, bedding, eggs everything lock, stock, and barrel it should be fine if you move her. She has imprinted on her current nest box more so than its GPS position (which is a human idea) and her instinct is to return to the nest that she knows and remembers. Do it at night using little or no artificial light.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Thanks how big of an area does a a broody hen need. The current pen i have i think is 5ft by 5ft....

Five feet by five feet is more than sufficient.