Hen went broody in an inconvenient spot ... need advice!

[fairskies]

So one of my GL Wyandotte hens decided the middle of winter is a great time to go broody...under my shed. I don't really want her to stay under there, and I have a nice little "maternity coop" that can house her and her chicks when they hatch. My problem is figuring out how to move her. Traditional wisdom says to move at night...Well because she is under the shed, I can't do that. I can't get hold of her at all except for her brief excursions out to eat and drink. If I snag her while she's out eating, scoop the eggs from under the shed, and relocate everybody to the new coop, will she continue to sit on the eggs? I think she's been sitting on them for about a week.

Note: I have a 2 y/o Pyrenees who keeps predators away. I don't worry about predators getting to her under the shed. I DO worry that my egg-thieving LGD might dig under the shed and steal the eggs. And I don't know if she might try to play with a baby chick and end up killing it. Plus I don't want to be chasing little baby chicks all over the yard and trying to fish them out from under the shed.

 

[Pyxis]

Can you use a trick I've used in the past for similar issues? When she's up and about, move the eggs quickly into a cat carrier and then put that open with the eggs in it near to where she was brooding before so when she's done being out for the day she'll go back to her eggs and just go into the carrier. In this case put the carrier under the shed near where she's brooding but close enough to the edge that it's easy for you to just grab that night and move, hen, eggs and all.

 

[ChickenGrass]

Hi.
I would recommend to move at night,
But as you can't do that the best thing to do after that is to grab
Her while she is eating.
When you catch her out your arm or hand over her face to keep it dark.
Put her into the coop and give her the eggs fast.
Make sure she has a nice warm bedding (I find straw/hay is best because the hens can easily make a nest)
Because you are doing this during the day do not be surprised
If she stops going broody.
So I would recommend having a back up in place eg.incubator.
Your dog may keep predators away but he/she can't keep
The cold and winter away which is why it is best to move the hen inside.
Goodluck,
Fionn.

 

[fairskies]

Unfortunately, I can't put the carrier under the shed because there is a clearance of only 6-8". I still haven't managed to move her, and I'm worried because of the cold. So frustrating because I have a coop set up for her only a few feet from where she is sitting. I work during the day, which makes all of this more complicated.

 

[Pyxis]

Well shoot. What about a cut down cardboard box or something like that?