Disturbing a Broody Hen

Palinor

Songster
Sep 10, 2017
139
109
147
Columbia, CA
We have a hen that is broody. We purchased some fertilized eggs that she's currently laying on.
We need to make some repairs to her nesting box (there's a space we didn't realize and lost two eggs, so sad) and the coop needs to be cleaned out.
My question is this, is it ok to disturb her by being in the coop and doing things around her? before she was broody she was a really chill hen, she lets up pick her up and everything, and as a broody hen she lets us pet her still.
 
I had to move mine broody hen twice and she did fine. A few times she went back to her original spot until I put her in an area that she couldn’t leave. I gave her plenty of food and water and she completely accepted the new spot.
 
I've been through this. Last year the hen was fine. This year one of those chicks became broody. Each day she would return to the wrong eggs after getting food and water. So I put her in an indoor broody cage I made. She is currently caring for ten chicks just over a month old.

Also, before her, another one went broody. The other hens would still lay eggs in the next box, even though she was incubating some eggs. So the extra eggs were also developing. I moved the entire next box to another cage to keep the other hens from laying eggs in with the broody hen. She hatched those eggs, and the extra ones that did not hatch were put in the incubator to finish there.

Currently, last year's broody hen went broody again. So I moved her into the broody cage and gave her some eggs I had in the incubator. She seems to be doing fine.
 
You should be fine it looks like she has acclimated to your presence. I have had much unwanted broody behavior with my hens and no matter how much I touched and moved her she continued to sit on a few eggs or even nothing at all. She should have no issues with you around.
 

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