Help with Broody Logistics

[Ms Biddy]

I'm excited to have broodies help with hatching this year, but wasn't expecting any of my young hens to start setting so soon. I haven't worked out the logistics yet and could use some advice.

My first girl to go broody is currently in my 10 x 10 cattle panel coop with 4 other hens and a rooster. I've been taking her eggs and haven't allowed her to keep real ones yet. She's a beauty.

The nest box is too high off the ground for her to remain there and hatch her chicks. I don't want my other hens going in her box and I don't want her to get confused and return to the wrong eggs if she gets up, but maybe those wouldn't be problems. I know she'll need to be moved eventually though. Should I do it before I give her the real eggs or wait and do it later during incubation?

Where should I move her? I could put a nest box on the ground, open to the rest of her group. Or I have a dog crate she could be enclosed in. Or we could build some kind of temporary pen for her inside the coop. Would do you think would be best?

I also have empty grow out pens, but this would mean removing her from her group. Will this be necessary after the chicks hatch? Would they be safe in the 10 x 10 hoop coop with other hens and a rooster? She's a very dominant hen but I don't know if that's enough space.

So knowing my coop situation, I'd like to know when I should move her out of the nest box, where I should put her and where she should raise her chicks. Any other advice is also welcome.

Thank you, I'm so excited!

 

[Notaneggspurt]

Congrats on your broody! I don't have direct experience with this but having worked out sort of a plan in case I get lucky too
My check list was making sure she could be in an area she has easy access to food and water. Enough room to leave the nest box to relieve herself. I've read that some will keep a daily routine of going out and dust bathing as well so having access to be able to do that was good. Looking at your nest box placement it does look like the chicks could fall out. If possible setting up an area lower to the ground might be good. I know some others will have great advice for you.

 

[southernbound13]

When our buff does this we usually put the "eggs" in a moveable container (we use a rubber goat feeder/waterer) in the box shes laying in and then come nighttime we move the entire nest, hen and all to wherever we want her to brood and hatch and then give her the eggs. We've moved mid incubation in the past and it wasn't terrible but it did throw her off and cause her to spend some time off the eggs and we had a poor hatch rate that month.

 

[Ms Biddy]

She was up this morning to eat and drink but then returned to the correct nest with the golf ball. Later after the other hens laid their eggs she left the golf ball and switched to a box with multiple eggs. That's what I was worried about.

 

[Kfults]

I have had two broody hatched recently. I placed broody and eggs in large dog crate in coop and kept her locked in and let her out daily so she could dust bath and relieve herself. I kept water and feed in the crate with her. While she is off the nest- other chickens will want to go lay in her nest. Reason I kept crate closed when I wasn’t around, other chickens will bully her off the nest.
Once babies hatched, I kept mom and chicks in dog crate with chick feed and water. About 1 week to 9 days mom was ready to come out with babies. I stayed close the first couple of times and locked crate when I wasn’t with mom and babies. ( my Roo attempted to kill the babies- and we got rid of him for many reasons) the mom keeps other hens away from chicks. After a day or so- I just left crate door open and let mom and chicks figure it out! Scary when they take them outside and stressful until chicks figure out the coop ramp. So far I have 4 week old chicks with momma and 1 week old chicks with another momma and they have integrated well. The other hens are used to them and don’t pay them any attention.

 

[Ms Biddy]

Thank you, @Kfults. I was hoping to use a crate, but I've read others who say it's too restrictive of a space. I'll have to sort out some kind of routine with her.

 

[chickens really]

I use a Crate every time with my Broodys. I lock them in and let them out every couple of days to eat , drink and poop. Then lock her back in. Works great for me..

 

[birdiefluff]

I use a Crate every time with my Broodys. I lock them in and let them out every couple of days to eat , drink and poop. Then lock her back in. Works great for me..

I use a wire one too and it has worked perfect for me. The bigger, the better! I'd move your hen right away and mine usually start sitting back down pretty soon after they're moved. But, at night is best to move her because she can't see and will easily settle down on her eggs.

 

[chickens really]

I use a wire one too and it has worked perfect for me. The bigger, the better! I'd move your hen right away and mine usually start sitting back down pretty soon after they're moved. But, at night is best to move her because she can't see and will easily settle down on her eggs.

I just move my Hens during the day and give her privacy to settle on the eggs. Always works for me. I currently have a Silkie setting in a crate in my Coop and Due in February. I physically have to remove her from the nest to eat and drink. She gets locked in because my other Hen is determined to lay her egg in the nest daily.

 

[Ms Biddy]

Thank you!!! A crate it is then. She's doing a great job sitting on her golf ball for now. She gets up once or twice a day but always goes back. I hope she'll be excited to get real eggs after I finish collecting them.