This is our first year with chickens and our Brahma (Lady) went broody about 2 months after she started laying. We have 5 girls and Lady is on the bottom of the pecking order (she earned her name by being so very ladylike). We found that she was hiding in the nest box for a few days and while Richard my husband put the 2 evil chickens in the time out coop, I did some research and found out that Lady was broody.
Being the sensible person, who never acts without thinking or researching, I bought 5 beautiful fertilized blue eggs and slipped them under Lady when we got them. She has been happily on her nest, coming out once a day (often with one of her friends using the nest while Lady was stretching her legs. About a week to go until the hatching and we realize that we need to have a plan for what to do with Lady and her babies. Since it took us 6 months to build the current coop and the time out coop not an option, I purchased another coop, which will be a perfect coop for a broody hen and her hatched babies.
Now come my questions. We would really like to get Lady and the eggs into the new coop, but with only a few days to go to hatching, would this be a bad idea? If she needs to be allowed to stay where she is, we will move all of the rest of the girls to the new coop. When should we be able to move Lady and the babies to the new coop (and the other girls back to the big coop?
Finally, when and how do we sex them? We can't keep males and there is a swap locally in 2 weeks, so we thought to take the boys there and find them good homes.
Your help is very appreciated. I can't wait for the hatching on Tuesday or Wednesday (taking time off of work to be here!)
Being the sensible person, who never acts without thinking or researching, I bought 5 beautiful fertilized blue eggs and slipped them under Lady when we got them. She has been happily on her nest, coming out once a day (often with one of her friends using the nest while Lady was stretching her legs. About a week to go until the hatching and we realize that we need to have a plan for what to do with Lady and her babies. Since it took us 6 months to build the current coop and the time out coop not an option, I purchased another coop, which will be a perfect coop for a broody hen and her hatched babies.
Now come my questions. We would really like to get Lady and the eggs into the new coop, but with only a few days to go to hatching, would this be a bad idea? If she needs to be allowed to stay where she is, we will move all of the rest of the girls to the new coop. When should we be able to move Lady and the babies to the new coop (and the other girls back to the big coop?
Finally, when and how do we sex them? We can't keep males and there is a swap locally in 2 weeks, so we thought to take the boys there and find them good homes.
Your help is very appreciated. I can't wait for the hatching on Tuesday or Wednesday (taking time off of work to be here!)
