Hen gone broody on other chickens fav. nest! (Help!)

[bledsoe95]

My buff orp. went broody on some of the other hens fav. nest they go to other nests sit down for a minute & then go to the nest with the brood hen. Will they lay in one of the other other nests or what will they do?

 

[chics in the sun]

Mine just squashed themselves in with the broody and laid an egg next to her, which she would then scoot under herself. Eventually I moved her to an enclosed cage with a nesting box and let her set. Otherwise you will have chicks hatching at all different times, making it a bit difficult for her to take care of the babies that hatch first.

 

[bledsoe95]

Ive tried moving her but he wont pay any attention to the eggs.

 

[BookWorm243]

Can you put some thing around her to keep the other hens out? You will end up with broken eggs and eggs that will not hatch all together.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Do you want to keep the brooding hen setting? Then move her to her own place well after dark. She needs to be by herself with her own food & water. It can be a kennel, cage, a different pen, or a barricaded section of the main coop. Make her new place shady with extra feed bags or whatever for a few days to encourage her to stay there. After a few days it should be apparant whether or not she'll stick with the job. If you want you can then swap out the eggs she began with for others you'd rather she hatch.

Make any changes with a broody hen after dark, they're less aware at that time.

 

[bledsoe95]

Yes i want her to sit but i dont think she'll stick with it any pace else.

 

[abhaya]

put her in a small enclosed safe place she should settle in