Hello Everyone - Have Questions

Date sort Score sort
mini1965

mini1965

Hatching
Joined
Apr 27, 2015
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
7
I'm so excited to of found this site. While reading thru some of the threads, I have really learned alot about chickens and I just love that being that I have quite a few myself. But I do have a question that I haven't seen asked and the threads I read. Hope someone can help.

I have three chicken coops and all my hens are let out each day and go back in each night on their own. At some point, I must not have paid attention and now have 3 hens sitting on eggs outside of the coop and not in safe locations. I need to move them for safety reasons. My question is, can I move a hen and her eggs into a coop with other hens? I do not have a place to put them away from the other girls, so this is my only option.

Has anyone else come across this and know what to do? Any help is appreciated.

Thank you
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
frow.gif


Do you have any nest boxes? If so, what I would do is put a broody and her eggs in each coop, in a nest box. I would section off this nest box so she can brood in peace, no other hens will lay in her clutch or bother her or her chicks when they hatch. Leave food and water with the broody in this section.

Get these areas all ready for them a head of time so there is nothing left to do but bring the broodies in. Go out after dark and FIRST, collect all the eggs and put them in each nest box. Then go out and get each broody, placing them on their eggs in their nest boxes. Usually if you do this at night, the broody is not disturbed and will continue to broody. If you do this during the day, you risk them broody stopping the incubation.

It helps to hang curtains over your broodies box for privacy and darkness. Make sure your boxes are low or on the floor with a good lip on the front so nobody falls out and when the chicks do come out, they don't have far to go to the floor.

You can use cardboard boxes or even those plastic dog crates. Something that gives them privacy.

Good luck and I hope you can get all these broodies in a safe place!
 
Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

I agree 100% with Two Crows. She nailed it! So I'll just say best of luck to you with moving your hen!
 
Last edited:
Welcome!! I have used plastic dog crates for broody hens in the past - they work really well. I put them under a big bush (inside a fenced area) so the hens feel safe and happy. Best of luck!
jumpy.gif
 
Thank you all so so much. Once the chicks hatch, will the other girls try and hurt them?
 
mini1965 said:
Thank you all so so much. Once the chicks hatch, will the other girls try and hurt them?
Click to expand...
They can, that is why you should section off the broodies areas. You can use some sort of wire or curtains of some sort, but keep momma and babies separate from the flocks for a while. As the babies age, in a week or two, you can then let them out and momma will protect them. However tiny chicks can be killed by the other hens.
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! Good luck with your broodys.
 
Thank you TwoCrows, i was afraid of that. Okay, I'm going out there now to figure something out. Thanks again and thanks everyone.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom