Help! I don’t want to mess this up!

[Masers]

Do you have any pics? Maybe taking some tomorrow of the boxes would give us a better picture of the dilemma.

I agree with @21hens-incharge, great ideas!

I don’t, but I’ll try to remember to take some tomorrow.

It’s hard to explain. It’s kind of weird how they set up the coop. Basically, it’s a shed they converted. So on one side, they built a shelf that runs alongside the east wall of the shed. The shelf is about 2 feet wide by maybe 6 feet long. The bottom of it is that heavy wire screen material. The mesh of the screen is not fine...the holes are pretty widely spaced. It’s definitely fine for adult hens, but a chick’s legs would fall right through them, I would imagine.

The entire shelf is walled in with plywood, except for a one foot wide opening for the hens to go in and out. There is a ramp leading up to the opening. They lay their eggs on this shelf, which is basically a very large communal nesting box.
There is also a wooden top to the nesting box, which opens with a hinge. This is how we can reach in and collect eggs. However, the box is high enough that it requires me to stand on a step stool to reach in.

I hope this description makes sense.

So you see the problem is that the wire screen runs along the entire length of the long 6 foot box. So I will put a shallow cardboard box underneath the hen, but there will still be wire sceeen outside the box.

So I’, thinking I should line the entire thing with flattened cardboard and nesting material, and then put the food and water outside the cardboard box?? Will the chicks be able to get out of the box and to the food and water?

 

[21hens-incharge]

I don’t, but I’ll try to remember to take some tomorrow.

It’s hard to explain. It’s kind of weird how they set up the coop. Basically, it’s a shed they converted. So on one side, they built a shelf that runs alongside the east wall of the shed. The shelf is about 2 feet wide by maybe 6 feet long. The bottom of it is that heavy wire screen material. The mesh of the screen is not fine...the holes are pretty widely spaced. It’s definitely fine for adult hens, but a chick’s legs would fall right through them, I would imagine.

The entire shelf is walled in with plywood, except for a one foot wide opening for the hens to go in and out. There is a ramp leading up to the opening. They lay their eggs on this shelf, which is basically a very large communal nesting box.
There is also a wooden top to the nesting box, which opens with a hinge. This is how we can reach in and collect eggs. However, the box is high enough that it requires me to stand on a step stool to reach in.

I hope this description makes sense.

So you see the problem is that the wire screen runs along the entire length of the long 6 foot box. So I will put a shallow cardboard box underneath the hen, but there will still be wire sceeen outside the box.

So I’, thinking I should line the entire thing with flattened cardboard and nesting material, and then put the food and water outside the cardboard box?? Will the chicks be able to get out of the box and to the food and water?

Excellent description.

This actually makes things a bit easier for you.
I would line the entire shelf with cardboard and set food and water in there with them.
I would also block the exit with mesh.
I would also get chick feed....unless you really want to use an all flock. It will not hurt your hens to eat chick feed.

 

[BYC910]

I think you are over thinking this . All of this, leave the hen in the nest where the eggs are now . Once hatched even if the ramp is very steep the chicks can make it to the ground , no special previsions needed . Once the brood is on the coop floor the hen will brood them there . Other than a chick waterier, and feeder and a small bag of chick starter . Just make sure the chicks all get out of the nest .The only thing that would concern me would be . If there is more than three days between the first egg hatched and the last egg hatched . The hen most of the time ,will leave the nest on the second or third day . If she stays longer, say the forth or fifth day the first chicks hatched could die.

 

[Masers]

Excellent description.

This actually makes things a bit easier for you.
I would line the entire shelf with cardboard and set food and water in there with them.
I would also block the exit with mesh.
I would also get chick feed....unless you really want to use an all flock. It will not hurt your hens to eat chick feed.

Okay! I think I can do that. Just need to get the hen end out of there for a bit so we can line it with cardboard??

You think we still should also do the separate shallow cardboard box? Or just line the whole thing with cardboard and put the food ad water on one side?

 

[21hens-incharge]

Okay! I think I can do that. Just need to get the hen end out of there for a bit so we can line it with cardboard??

You think we still should also do the separate shallow cardboard box? Or just line the whole thing with cardboard and put the food ad water on one side?

No need for the shallow box if you are lining the whole thing.

 

[Masers]

I think you are over thinking this . All of this, leave the hen in the nest where the eggs are now . Once hatched even if the ramp is very steep the chicks can make it to the ground , no special previsions needed . Once the brood is on the coop floor the hen will brood them there . Other than a chick waterier, and feeder and a small bag of chick starter . Just make sure the chicks all get out of the nest .The only thing that would concern me would be . If there is more than three days between the first egg hatched and the last egg hatched . The hen most of the time ,will leave the nest on the second or third day . If she stays longer, say the forth or fifth day the first chicks hatched could die.

I’m having trouble picturing what you’re saying.
Do you mean the chicks will manage to get down the ramp on their own and will hang out on the floor of the coop until the mama comes to join them?

Thanks!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I'm gonna take a different tack here. Without pictures my mind is kinda going crazy so forgive me if I'm off track here. I think the safest thing to do is move mama and eggs to a corner on the floor, in a dog crate if necessary. This will eliminate any possibility of babies falling out of the nest, slipping off the ramp, falling off the ramp, getting lost or scared on the ramp or being bullied by bigger birds. They will be with Mom, where they belong. Their food should be close to Mom who can supervise it and can keep big birds out of it. It's do-able! We did it last year for 4 BOs and everybody survived just fine! You can doo eeet!

 

[Masers]

I'm gonna take a different tack here. Without pictures my mind is kinda going crazy so forgive me if I'm off track here. I think the safest thing to do is move mama and eggs to a corner on the floor, in a dog crate if necessary. This will eliminate any possibility of babies falling out of the nest, slipping off the ramp, falling off the ramp, getting lost or scared on the ramp or being bullied by bigger birds. They will be with Mom, where they belong. Their food should be close to Mom who can supervise it and can keep big birds out of it. It's do-able! We did it last year for 4 BOs and everybody survived just fine! You can doo eeet!

I’m just nervous she might abandon the eggs!
What if I closed off the opening by the ramp?
Eek, idk! Conflicting advice makes me so unsure of what to do! Haha!

 

[Masers]

Okay, so is the consensus:

A) move her for a bit to line her nesting box with cardboard, then let her go back to her eggs. Possibly screen/close off the opening/ramp area. (So she wouldn’t be able to leave either, though...i’d Just leave food and water up in the area for all of them.)

Or

B) put a dog crate in the coop (ground level), then move eggs to the crate, and put her in the crate? I guess I would close her in so she can’t leave? (And abandon the eggs?) move food and water in there?

I want to do whatever we’re gonna do *tomorrow*, because I think the eggs could be expected to hatch as soon as tomorrow! Eek, talk about cutting it close!

 

[MROO]

This could be possible. I could actually fit a (shallow?) cardboard box right in the nesting box...if she allows me to move her! Ha. So...I could move her...put the eggs in the cardboard box in the same spot she has been nesting...and you think she’ll go right back to them?

Thanks so much for the help.

If you can fit a cardboard box in her nesting box, can you slide one underneath her,like you'd slide a paddle under a baking pizza? If you can, you can move her nest without really disturbing it. Prep your kennel first with lots of shavings, then put her and her nest right into the box, but leave it in her nesting box. Once she settles back down on it - which could be right away, could be ten minutes, or could be an hour - pick up the whole box and put the entire thing - box and all - into the kennel. Voila - same nest, new walls!
Then block off the old nest boxes, so she's not tempted to go back in, again.
A note on using a kennel - make sure the grate is not large enough for the babies to go exploring where Mama can't follow. If they slip out and something happens, like the other hen getting too curious, she has no way of getting to them. We wrap ours in 1.2 or 1/4 hardware cloth, the kind you'd use for a rabbit cage. If you're crafty and have plastic quick-point canvas around, that works, too.
And don't ever apologize for a question, here. The only "dumb question" is the one you're too embarrassed to ask, and then ends up costing you a bird. We've all been there - and even the most experienced of "chicken tenders" can learn something from another BYCer. That's the best part of BYC - sharing knowledge, support, and FUN!
Oh - and Welcome Aboard! We're glad you're here!