Broody

[awatt]

i just got some eggs to shove under my broody hen, she has taken to happily sitting in the hen house in the corner, should i bother moving her to a new place before putting the eggs down.

also 4 my hens to get up to the house they have to go up a ladder, would chicks be able 2 get up a ladder.

Cheers

 

[keljonma]

Move her at night to a draft-free, predator-free place where the rest of the flock won't bother her, the eggs, or the chicks after they hatch. Make sure she always has fresh feed, water, oyster shell and grit. She'll need some space to stretch her legs and drop her broody poo.

If the ladder is any height at all, you are taking a chance that the young chicks will try to follow mama and get severely injured.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Please read this thread. It should answer several questions.

Isolate a Broody? Thread
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=213218

You'd be amazed at what chicks can do when they are following mama. We'd need photos or a physical description of the ladder to know if you could expect any problems. How high is it, how far apart, horizontally and vertically, are the rungs?

A broody hen is not laying eggs. She does not need extra oyster shell.