Welcome to BYC!
I have an ISA that just started setting yesterday for the first time. I also have 4 hens that I need to move to the larger coop. The hens I need to move are about 4 months old so I know they are big enough but my concern is how will affect my new broody. Will I cause her too much stress where she will stop or cause her to get beat up?
Are you
positive she's broody, it usually takes a couple days to be sure she's is sitting tight on the nest most the day and all night long. Then you will have to decide if you
want her to hatch out chicks and how you will manage it.(see more below) I like to move them to a separate coop area but within sight of the flock.
Integrating 4mo birds into a flock of adults can be tricky and highly disruptive.
Knowing more about your set up would help....sounds like you have 2 coops. Is there a common run, have the new and old birds been together physically yet?
The hens I need to move are about 4 months old
FYI.....semantics, maybe, but can be important communication terms when discussing chicken behavior.
Female chickens are called pullets until one year of age, then they are called hens.
Male chickens are called cockerels until one year of age, then they are called cocks(or cockbirds or roosters).
Age in weeks or months is always a good thing to note.
Broody decisions:
You'll need to decide if you
want her to hatch out some chicks, and how you will 'manage' it.
Do you have, or can you get, some fertile eggs?
Do you have the space needed? Both for more chickens and she may need to be separated by wire from the rest of the flock.
Do you have a plan on what to do with the inevitable males? Rehome, butcher, keep in separate 'bachelor pad'?
If you decide to let her hatch out some fertile eggs, this is a great thread for reference and to ask questions.
It's a long one but just start reading the first few pages, then browse thru some more at random.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/496101/broody-hen-thread
If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, best to break her broodiness promptly.
My experience went like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, 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 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.
