can you show me your broody area

[rita2paul]

i need to get this little girl out of her nest box and into a broody area setup can you show me what you have built for your broody hen, i have a shed and would like to setup something in there, as she flatly refuses to use the dog cage.

 

[Below frigid]

I just made a 6x10 pen with wire fence and t post. I had two Broody hens with eggs. I just took them the chicks and the un hatched eggs, from the nesting boxes, yes I waited a day too long. I put two dog kennels in the pen and shut them inside while they finished hatching the eggs. After two days l let them have the run of the pen. I used some old deer fence for a roof over the Len to keep flying critters out. I shut the kennel doors at night for extra security. Broody hens both started laying again when the chick were 4 weeks. I removed the hens and let them go back to the flock. One never looked back. It took the other one a couple of days. At 8 weeks I will let the chicks out of the pen. They all pile up together in one kennel now that the momma's are gone.

 

[rita2paul]

I just made a 6x10 pen with wire fence and t post. I had two Broody hens with eggs. I just took them the chicks and the un hatched eggs, from the nesting boxes, yes I waited a day too long. I put two dog kennels in the pen and shut them inside while they finished hatching the eggs. After two days l let them have the run of the pen. I used some old deer fence for a roof over the Len to keep flying critters out. I shut the kennel doors at night for extra security. Broody hens both started laying again when the chick were 4 weeks. I removed the hens and let them go back to the flock. One never looked back. It took the other one a couple of days. At 8 weeks I will let the chicks out of the pen. They all pile up together in one kennel now that the momma's are gone.

did you have any fighting when the mother hen went back to the flock and did the other hens except the chicks ok.

 

[Below frigid]

One mother hen the skitish one just went right back into the flock. The other one is really having a problem with the cockerels/roosters trying to breed her. She went Broody but she had not let the cockerels breed her yet, so we gave her fertile eggs from the others hens that were mating. We were not positive if the cockerels were fertile less than 5 months old. But one was and 5 out of 10 hatched!

 

[Below frigid]

did you have any fighting when the mother hen went back to the flock and did the other hens except the chicks ok.

The chicks pen is smack in the middle of chicken land so all the hens and roos were close up and personal with the chicks since hatching with a fence in between of course. When I do let them out l stay close by since the momma's are not watching over them. Except for an occasional Peck when food is involved, there has been no problems.

 

[MROO]

i need to get this little girl out of her nest box and into a broody area setup can you show me what you have built for your broody hen, i have a shed and would like to setup something in there, as she flatly refuses to use the dog cage.

If her nest box will move, put the whole thing in the dog kennel - eggs, nest, mama and all. Put food and water in there with her ... then lock it shut.
If her box won't move, try putting a liner in it - maybe a smaller box or a crate. Once she settles back into that., you should be able to move the whole thing as above.
Will a small rabbit hutch fit inside your coop? It's not as open as a kennel, but still keeps mama where the other chickens can see her. If you use a hutch, you'll want to make sure she's not walking on bare wire. A board in the bottom should work fine.

 

[rita2paul]

i did a quick candle on the eggs, two look like duds 2 have veins and 2 i could not really see clearly, these were laid 2 days later by the other hens so i left them in there. hubby said he will make something to fit under the nest boxes for mum.

 

[rita2paul]

If her nest box will move, put the whole thing in the dog kennel - eggs, nest, mama and all. Put food and water in there with her ... then lock it shut.
If her box won't move, try putting a liner in it - maybe a smaller box or a crate. Once she settles back into that., you should be able to move the whole thing as above.
Will a small rabbit hutch fit inside your coop? It's not as open as a kennel, but still keeps mama where the other chickens can see her. If you use a hutch, you'll want to make sure she's not walking on bare wire. A board in the bottom should work fine.

the nest boxes will move, i am going to wait until a day before hatch day and move her then, i have tried and she got off and moved back to the nest box, but she was only just stared sitting, so i think it was to early to move her, it's all a learning curb.

 

[lazy gardener]

My first broody nested in one of my floor level boxes. I took out the divider, so she had a double wide. I then blocked off the area in front of the 3 bottom level boxes so that the resulting space was about 3.5' x 4'. The nest boxes had outside access so I built a tiny little run, about 4' x 5.5' so she could take them outside.

However, she bypassed that plan, and took them out into the big run yesterday afternoon. Had a tussel getting them back in b/c their flight feathers not all in, and they did not understand the concept of "UP". Finally, I herded them all OUT of the run, and they then proceeded to hop up the steps to the people door, with Mama leading the way. This afternoon, 7/10 of them figured out the cinder block steps (to the pop door) that hubby and I built for them.

Second broody is nesting in a raised broody cage that is about 3.5 x 4' with a movable nest box. I think I'll move her and her hatchlings down to the first broody's area AFTER hatch.

One of my bigger issues right now, is that 1st broody thinks that she should have ownership of the entire coop. This morning, she wouldn't let any one in to use the nest boxes, so I had to shut her into her broody area.

 

[rita2paul]

My first broody nested in one of my floor level boxes. I took out the divider, so she had a double wide. I then blocked off the area in front of the 3 bottom level boxes so that the resulting space was about 3.5' x 4'. The nest boxes had outside access so I built a tiny little run, about 4' x 5.5' so she could take them outside.

However, she bypassed that plan, and took them out into the big run yesterday afternoon. Had a tussel getting them back in b/c their flight feathers not all in, and they did not understand the concept of "UP". Finally, I herded them all OUT of the run, and they then proceeded to hop up the steps to the people door, with Mama leading the way. This afternoon, 7/10 of them figured out the cinder block steps (to the pop door) that hubby and I built for them.

Second broody is nesting in a raised broody cage that is about 3.5 x 4' with a movable nest box. I think I'll move her and her hatchlings down to the first broody's area AFTER hatch.

One of my bigger issues right now, is that 1st broody thinks that she should have ownership of the entire coop. This morning, she wouldn't let any one in to use the nest boxes, so I had to shut her into her broody area.

what will you do with all the chicks. it sounds like you have your hands full, but it will be worth it. what breeds doyoukeep.