Broody will hatch eggs soon...too late to move?

[Jeffross1968]

So, we have our first broody, and her eggs are due to hatch Sunday or Monday. We did not move her in the beginning, and she's done great, and no other hens have bothered her. But as the time gets close, I realize that the rest of the flock will pose a danger to the chicks. So my dilemma, is whether to move her to a dedicated broody pen now, or maybe a day prior to hatch, or wait until they hatch. Our worry is that 2 bad things could happen....we could move her now, and she'll leave the eggs because of the move...or, the chicks hatch at a time when we can't get to them all in time, and a hen or roo kills them.

Also, the broody pen is 4 x 12. It's actually the fenced in portion under the coop with dirt and hay floor. Nest itself is an old tire with a protective box around it. Tire is filled with hay. There is one hen that lays in it now, but we'll be closing the area off when we put her in there. Anyone foresee any issues with that set up? How long should we keep her and the chicks isolated in there?

 

[sourland]

You've gotten to this point with no problems so I would be reluctant to move her until the chicks hatch. Any possibility of screening off the nest site for the last 24 hours? Depending upon your flock dynamics and the broody's position in the pecking order - given enough space, you may be able to integrate them into the flock once the chicks are fully mobile. Needless to say it will be necessary to monitor the integration. Good luck.

 

[Jeffross1968]

The way it's set up, I don't think I could fence off the one laying box where she is nesting.. Scary thing!

 

[Aves]

I have done this before. I remove as much nesting material along with the eggs, place the hen and nest in a smaller enclosure (cage, carrier) so she will get right back on the eggs, once she is settled on the nest again, move the whole unit to the pen you want. Sometimes the other hens leave newly hatched chicks alone, and sometimes they don't and will actually kill them. I don't like to gamble so I just move the hen. I do usually do this 1 week out from hatching, but I still think you can do it since the hen is very committed at this point..

Good luck

Aves

 

[WyoChickenMamma]

Just in the last week I have moved 2 hens on day 18. I moved them out of the general population laying nests to dog crates/kennels inside their coop. I was advised on here to do it at night. Take the eggs first and put them in the crate and then shine a dim flashlight on the eggs. Put your hen near the eggs, she will see them and go right to them. The first hen had some anxiety about being in the cage, but it was done and over with probably within 20-30 minutes. She settled down on the eggs and has been fine. The second one went right and and sat down, not a problem with being in a crate.

My first girl is now over a week out from hatch day and I am leaving the crate door open some during the day. She has taken the babies out of the crate a few times, but not out of the coop. I figure she will do that when she is ready. She is the lowest on the pecking order, but yesterday I saw her go all kinds of crazy on a hen who was trying to get into the chick starter feed in their crate. I was so proud of her for running the other one off...wish she would have done that while she was sitting, we ended up with two cracked eggs because allowed other hens on the nest.

Good Luck with her!

 

[Jeffross1968]

Well, yesterday was day 19, and I decided to mover her in case she hatches on day 20 (which I've heard can happen) because my wife is at work, and I'll be spending a large portion of the afternoon at the kids soccer game. So...yesterday, when she got up for her daily poop and eat session, I moved the eggs into the brooder pen, a 4x12 fenced in area below the coop. It has a tire filled with hay, and the tire is sheltered by a wooden box. After she was done, she returned to her old spot and didn't find the eggs, and was a little distressed. I picked her up through the laying box lid, and placed her at the opposite end of broody pen from her eggs. I asked my 10 year old son to go in there with her. He had to place her on the nest about 3 or 4 times, and then she finally got the hint. She hasn't left since, so it looks good.

I've place her own food and water in there so she should be set for the final phase. Just wanted to update anyone reading this thread now and in the future, who might be considering moving their broody late in the process.

I think what helped was that there was no where else for her to go. No roosts, no other nests, just a fenced in area with her eggs in one nest. Plus, she just seems like an awesome broody hen. She's been perfect, and once she realized what she was supposed to do in her new spot, she did it.

Now, we just wait for chickies!

 

[Xistina]

Well, yesterday was day 19, and I decided to mover her in case she hatches on day 20 (which I've heard can happen) because my wife is at work, and I'll be spending a large portion of the afternoon at the kids soccer game. So...yesterday, when she got up for her daily poop and eat session, I moved the eggs into the brooder pen, a 4x12 fenced in area below the coop. It has a tire filled with hay, and the tire is sheltered by a wooden box. After she was done, she returned to her old spot and didn't find the eggs, and was a little distressed. I picked her up through the laying box lid, and placed her at the opposite end of broody pen from her eggs. I asked my 10 year old son to go in there with her. He had to place her on the nest about 3 or 4 times, and then she finally got the hint. She hasn't left since, so it looks good.

I've place her own food and water in there so she should be set for the final phase. Just wanted to update anyone reading this thread now and in the future, who might be considering moving their broody late in the process.

I think what helped was that there was no where else for her to go. No roosts, no other nests, just a fenced in area with her eggs in one nest. Plus, she just seems like an awesome broody hen. She's been perfect, and once she realized what she was supposed to do in her new spot, she did it.

Now, we just wait for chickies!

Did your chickens end up hatching okay after you did this?