Building a broody pen... what is ideal?

[Tam'ra of Rainbow Vortex]

My first hen went broody and after reading pros and cons here, we have decided to move her to a broody pen to help her be successful. So my question is what is ideal?
How much space and light and fresh air would she like?
I have a bank of clean and empty rabbit hutches backed up against my wood shed which is only 30 or so feet from the coop. I have heard others say they use rabbit hutches successfully, but I want to make sure I prepare the best possible place for her. I am hoping this will work because I don't want to move her inside and separate her from the others. I plan to build her a ramp to get in and out too, so she can go out when she wants.
The cages are plywood and metal screen, and each is about 3' long before an internal plywood wall separates it from the next. They were all built as one unit and I was thinking of removing all the internal walls anyway to transition new chicks from the brooder to outside anyway, but should I take out walls for my hen? Or would she like a small space? Should I build her a smaller box in the cage? If so, should the opening face the cage, or the outside? Will she want to look outside, or feel more comfortable if we can't look in as easily? She is a silver penciled wyandotte who has always been a little flighty and skittish, if that makes any difference in her preferences.
Any advice would help.

 

[scooter147]

Do the hutches have the "normal" rabbit boxes on the back. That would work just fine if they do, otherwise a wooden box would work.
Word of caution on keeping the door open and letting her come and go as she pleases. My concern would be that she would head back to the coop and not return to the nest and thus the clutch would be lost to chill.
Move her at night, it's easier and that should keep her on the nest. My experience is that moving a broody during the day isn't always successfull.
What I use is a wire dog crate, with a box in the back and food and water in the front. A broody hen generally only gets off the nest once a day to eat, drink, poo and the occasional dust bath and only for about 20 minutes or so. The time off the nest depends on the weather if it's cold she will likely remain off only 5 minutes or so if it is higher the 75 degrees or so they will spend as much time as 45 minutes off the nest. It's amazing how they know.

 

[Southernbelle]

I've used lots of different things as broody boxes - a dog crate, my chick brooder, rabbit cages, etc. I think your old rabbit hutches sound like a good broody box. I wouldn't worry about knocking the inner walls out until the chicks hatch. The broody bird doesn't need hardly any space at all to hatch her eggs. The best way to move a broody to a broody pen is to go down at night and move her nest and all. I used to use old cat litter buckets for my Silkies just so I could move the nest and all when they went broody. It's less disturbing to them.

Sometimes I'd have hens go broody on the floor of the coop so I'd try to move them to a broody pen, but they didn't like it and would fight to go back to their old broody spot. Sometimes it would break them of being broody. If your hen is on a nest you can't move easily, but she's safe, I'd leave her there until the chicks hatch, then move everyone to the rabbit hutches.

 

[Tam'ra of Rainbow Vortex]

Thanks for the replies!
I cannot, unfortunately, move her nest and all. My nesting boxes are built in, and there isn't even much 'nest' in there as one or more of my girls throws the hay on the floor as soon as I can put it in there. I plan to move her at nigh (tonight in fact!) and leave to door shut for the first two days while she adjusts to the new place. After that she couldn't really return to the coop if she wanted to- we still have the others confined to the run (except for a few hours a day) till we get the fence put up.
Do you think it would be better just to keep the door shut? I could do that, just feed and water her in there. I know she won't need much exercise, but I feel bad locking her up!Hopefully by the time the chicks hatch the others will be free ranging again and I can give the new family a ramp so they can get in and out unless Tilly wants to move back into the coop. I have ground floor nest boxes in there that no one uses except the silkie roo who sleeps there sometimes.

 

[scooter147]

I would leave her locked up. She may not be able to get back into the coop but that doesn't mean she won't try and run the fence all day long. You can do what I do. I just take mine out of the cage place them outside and they go back in when there ready.