How to move broody hen with eggs

[old biddy]

I have two hens gone broody. They sit on their nest with their eggs and the other hens come over and lay their eggs in those same nests. The broody hens now have over a dozen eggs to sit on, all various ages. I want to move these hens to a secure area where they will not be disturbed and can hatch out their eggs in private. I have tried this before with various results. One hen would not sit on the eggs in the new location. However, another hen that I moved with eggs went right back to setting - no problem. Not sure if I just handled the move poorly the first time or what is going on. My question is : what is the best way to move a hen already sitting on eggs? Thanks for any help!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The new nest should be as close to the same feel as the old nest. Same amount of light, same size, same nesting material, similar number of same temperature eggs, etc..
That's how I do it.
I once moved a hen from a nest with excelsior nest pads into a nest with warm eggs but with a plastic nest pad. She refused to sit on them. I pulled the plastic pad and replaced it with an excelsior pad and she went right in and sat.
You want to put some warm eggs in the new nest so they feel the same. Once she has accepted the new nest, you can switch them with her original eggs.
In the future, when a hen goes broody in housing with other active layers, always mark all the original eggs within a day or two or a disastrous staggered hatch will ensue.

 

[old biddy]

The new nest should be as close to the same feel as the old nest. Same amount of light, same size, same nesting material, similar number of same temperature eggs, etc..
That's how I do it.
I once moved a hen from a nest with excelsior nest pads into a nest with warm eggs but with a plastic nest pad. She refused to sit on them. I pulled the plastic pad and replaced it with an excelsior pad and she went right in and sat.
You want to put some warm eggs in the new nest so they feel the same. Once she has accepted the new nest, you can switch them with her original eggs.
In the future, when a hen goes broody in housing with other active layers, always mark all the original eggs within a day or two or a disastrous staggered hatch will ensue.

I will take your advice. Yes, I am sure we are now in a position of having a disastrous staggered hatch. I will try to duplicate her nesting conditions as closely as possible. Once she has accepted the nest I may switch the old staggered eggs with newly laid warm eggs. Of course that means she will be on the nest longer than normal to hatch out the new eggs but I have had hens stay on the nest for more than 30 days hatching out peafowl eggs, so I don't think that will be a problem for her. We will see. Thanks so much for the advice.

 

[aart]

I move them to the designated secure location and let them settle in before giving them fresh fertile eggs....or straight to the breaker crate if I don't want them to hatch out some chicks for me.

 

[old biddy]

I move them to the designated secure location and let them settle in before giving them fresh fertile eggs....or straight to the breaker crate if I don't want them to hatch out some chicks for me.

I've not heard of a breaker crate before. Can you explain the process?

 

[aart]

I've not heard of a breaker crate before. Can you explain the process?

My experience goes about like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest (or as soon as I know they are broody), I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.
Chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken.