Golf balls and fertile eggs together under broody?

[socks]

Hi, I'm back again with questions after a forum search came up empty.
So, we got lucky yesterday and caught our broody out eating and drinking (well, not carousing

) and were able to remove the questionable eggs under her and replace them with 4 golf balls. Now I have gotten eggs for her (actually too many probably, I was hoping to put a dozen under her) and will do it at night. Late at night! She was awfully bitey at 10:30 p.m. the time we tried moving her (gave up, moved the other guys out). The thing is, I figure I can get eggs under her but worry that if I start taking the golf balls out before I do that it will just get her upset and she might crush eggs.

What do you think? Take the golf balls out or leave them? I really wish I could have caught her out for food today but even though we checked about a dozen times (around the same time as yesterday) no luck---and since we locked her out of her nest for about 5 minutes yesterday she might have decided not to leave today???

Truth is.....I am possibly more chicken than my chickens.... I mean, I realized that I'm not used to being attacked by animals and yes, I am concerned that she will damage the eggs if she starts trying to bite us again (she was as fast as a snake, and well, mean as a broody hen)

o.k. well, thanks again to the helpful people that put up with these Nervous Nelly questions. If I can successfully get this one under my belt I might be able to help someone else next time.

 

[AlienChick]

I have about 5 hens that are broody right now, but one hen is the meanest I've ever seen.
She PECKS hard! I have to wear gloves because I have to check her nest every day to remove freshly laid eggs from the other hens.
I wear garden gloves and she pecks so hard, she almost pulled the glove off.
Anyway, the gloves work.

For your situation with the golf balls, I would remove the balls first, then simply place 4-5 eggs near the broody hen and wait till she pushes them underneath her. Repeat till she's got all the eggs under her. In this way you don't have to worry about her cracking the eggs. I usually put the eggs next to the broody hen and leave for a little while to go do other chores. When I return, I notice that she's shoved all the eggs under her. Broody hens are experts at stealing eggs!

 

[socks]

o.k. thanks, hmmm....so should I get the golf balls in the dark but wait until day time to give her the eggs??? It does sound like a better way to give the eggs if I can (not much room in the nest box except under her though).

 

[AlienChick]

o.k. thanks, hmmm....so should I get the golf balls in the dark but wait until day time to give her the eggs??? It does sound like a better way to give the eggs if I can (not much room in the nest box except under her though).

 

[socks]

o.k. well that was exciting....just got back from the broody. I used a plastic bucket to gently prod her and keep her bitey head away from me while I got the golf balls out. She was decidely more placid/groggy this time (midnight) so I decided to go for it and put 12 eggs in under her.....I trust this will somehow make up for the intrusion.

I realized I don't really have space in the 12 by 12 box to leave eggs out for her and after that there is a ledge that she wouldn't be able to scoop them over so this seemed the best compromise. I guess I'll find out tomorrow if it worked (?!)

 

[DangerChickenHouse]

Keep us posted!

 

[socks]

so far so good! I just checked and she is sitting as determinedly as ever with her beak poised right at the entrance to ward off troublemakers. I think I'll add her food and water in the coop now- I had it outside before in the hopes of catching her off the nest. Right now the weather is cool but it should be a lot hotter soon so the best I can do is remove the straw on the coop floor so air can come in the welded wire floor. We've added a welded wire temporary 'window' to the other nest box in the coop so that should help too.

I am a wee bit concerned about the two healthy sized rats that have been getting into the run and sneaking food that the birds drop. I have moved all the other birds to an attached run with a separate coop so there is nothing to slow the rats down as there was before. As long as I don't leave the roof open I don't think they can get in the coop but not 100% sure.