I've found that what my girls like best is covered cat litter boxes! They really do work well because if a hen goes broody on me, I can move her (in the box) into the garage or house ~ depending on the season ~ to keep the other hens from going in and laying their eggs for her to incubate. I do that because I want to hatch out the eggs and I like to know which hen is the mom, plus so all the eggs will hatch within the same day or two. I collect eggs throughout the day and if I decide to let a hen set some for me, I just put a bunch under her and move her out of the main pen. I've got two girls, right now, setting in my basement. It's WAY too cold here in the Bluff Country to let them try to hatch out chicks in the barn. One of my typiest hens, "Java", is starting to go broody and I've got about a 1/2 dozen eggs that I'd like to hatch so rather than put them in my bator, I'll bring her in tonight, in the covered litter box (they have handles on top, making moving them VERY easy) and give her those eggs. What's one more chicken in the basement???
