Having a broody hen raise chicks

[greylee]

I've never had a broody hen raise new chicks for me and I'm wondering how it's done if I decided to do it. Currently my nesting boxes are off the ground. Would I need to put a nesting box on the floor of a coop? Or would I need to set up a whole new mini coop away from the flock?

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Totally depends on your setup, whether the hen will stay broody if moved and how comfortable she is with you handling her. If the nesting boxes are raised you should move her so that when the chicks hatch they won’t fall out. Keeping her with the flock is usually best because the reintegration won’t be as rough. There is a helpful thread on this exact topic:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/natural-breeding-thread.1653246/

 

[DaphneBeard]

I just went through this, my nesting boxes are on the 2nd level of the coop with a pretty steep ladder up. So on the first night I put my chicks under the broody hen in her normal nesting box. Once I was sure they all bonded (about 48 hours in) I built a box in the bottom of the coop for them. I then took her chicks from her and put them in the bottom box, she came down right away and went right in with the babies. That being said I did hand raise the momma from a day old and we get along really well, she was somewhat trusting of me when I took her chicks.
It has been the cutest thing to watch my Virgin Mary hen raise her little babies.
I kept the chicks and the hen in the same coop with the flock and they have been great together.