First timer with broody hen, advice please ** UPDATED with temp question for tonight

[julnjake]

I've read many of the threads here and googled but I'm still left without an idea of what to do. I"m new to chickens, got my first flock last summer. Well I finally had a hen go broody on Monday and I'm absolutely thrilled to let her raise a clutch. The problem is she's broody in the nesting box, which is raised off the ground and also my coop isn't really set up to be seperated off, and my chickens free range. I'm not sure what to do with her as far as relocating. Reading the posts from others that have moved their hens only to have them abandon their nests makes me very nervous. I also am a huge fan of the quote in the long post about hatching eggs naturally (I tried to read a lot but its 959 pages!) that said the poster's grandfather said "that cow knows more about being a cow than you'll ever know!" I really take a hands off approach and believe nature will take it's course (I know some will disagree with that hopefully I won't get a debate for having that opinion).

I have 19 chickens right now, all hens except one rooster.

Here's my nesting box, she is in the middle box on the bottom, should I move her or not? Is there anything else imperative I must know?

 

[keystonepaul]

I have moved all of mine when they've gone broody from the nesting boxes. i've had success with each one. I've moved each girl at night and to a spot that was cozy and out of the way that no other chickens could get to. I compartmentalized my coup for this prurpose, but it's rather large and I was able to do it. I bet a small plastic dog kennel placed in a corner of the coup would work. Room to nest, with room to put in a small feeder and waterer and you could lock out other chickens and prevent her from going to one of the laying boxes and laying on fresh eggs instead of the one's she's been on all while feeling nice and safe. I've had one nest in a laying box and be successful, but i"ve had 3 or 4 that didn't work out letting them lay in an open nest box. If you don't want to move her how about making a small home made cage to connect on front of the box she's nesting in with a small door- you could then keep a small crock of food and a chick waterer there for her to eat and drink from. Good luck. Keystonepaul

 

[julnjake]

Ofcourse I couldn't think of my other questions when I made my original post! When people talk about marking the eggs she's on and candling eggs, do you just reach under her and pull the eggs out? Will it upset her or will she hurt you? I've never seen her off the eggs and I haven't marked them. She's been on since Monday and my egg count for the day has been down a bit so now I'm thinking there could be 2-4 extra eggs under her everyday! Now what do I do???

 

[nickie]

Going with a hands off approach... Could you maybe add a bit of a lip on the edge to keep eggs and chicks in?

 

[NewToFarming]

I have had success moving mine. Do you have a dog crate? I use them alot and I set them up right in the coop. I do not have high nesting boxes but I use them to keep the other hens out of the nest. It seems here as soon as one goes broody in a nest, everyone else wants to lay their eggs in it also!
The dog crates work for me. You can put food & water right in the cages just for her. The solid ones are dark & cozy and if you only have the wire cages, then I put a covered kitty litter pan inside that for them to brood in.
Yes, you would have to reach under her unless you catch her at the right time when she is off of the nest to check the eggs. She will most likely growl and probably peck you. Even my sweetest girls turn into monsters when they are broody! LOL
Good luck! I think all will be fine!

 

[wowmanacat]

I had two go broody at about the same time. This was my first time with a broody hen. The one would stay in the nest box and would keep moving form box to box as the other would lay eggs. I have 10 hens in the coop. I had no place to move my two broody hens so they had to stay in the coop with all the rest. I set up a old milk crate for a nest for her but she would keep going to the main nest boxes. At about 1 1/2 week in I moved all the eggs under the one hen that was staying on her eggs. out of 14 eggs I had 11 hatch. I did have to move some into the incubator to finish hatching. Now the two momma hen are co mothering and I think it is great.
Next time they go broody I hope to be able to move them to a area of there own, for I will ahve moved to our new home by then.

 

[patty12]

This is a puzzle, sounds like genetics to me , have you raised chicks from these hens and rooster before? as for the missing eggs she may have ate them but that should not effect the other eggs because that happens often with no ill effect.

 

[julnjake]

Right after posting this morning about not marking the eggs and how should I do that, I went to the coop and she was off to eat and drink so I marked them quickly with a pencil!
Ok I think I'm going to go with the dog crate and move her because other hens are laying in that nesting box. Do I just build her a nest myself in the crate and then move her and then move the eggs?

 

[NewToFarming]

I try to grab a few eggs first, then the hen and then the remaining eggs. If you move her first she might try like heck to get back to them. You might want to wait until the evening to try this. I had found some do better at night.
Some of my girls don't care if I move them and would set on rocks and others will cause a ruckus for awhile but then settle down. The dog crates work well because you can close them up and they can't get back to the nest and will then settle down.

 

[julnjake]

Well I decided to move her. I went out and 3 times today there was another hen in the nesting box with her and there were eggs that were uncovered. I was waiting until dark to do it but now I'm wondering if I should wait, its awful cold here and if she doesn't settle right down then the eggs will be exposed to chillier air (they are in a coop but still there's no heat). Should I wait and see if it's warmer tomorrow night or the next and then do it or will it make a difference? For today I found a make shift screen to put up to keep the other hens out, I can do that again tomorrow during the day.