Move a broody hen before or after chicks hatch?

[Jmash]

Hi all!
I have a broody hen whose been on her nest a couple weeks already (on wooden eggs). My hatching eggs arrived and are in the bator to see which ones start to develop.

She’s currently on one of our nest boxes and I’d like to move her to the small coop where she and the chicks will be safe.

my question is: should I move her now? Or after the chicks hatch?

reasons to move now: my other hens are not laying in the adjacent nest boxes and I think it’s bc of her.

reasons to wait: while I can set up a brooder for these chicks, I reeeealy don’t want to. I’m afraid of moving her and having her go off the nest.

other info: she’s a Maran/Welsummer mix and frequent broody bird (this is her 4th time this year). It typically takes me 3-5 days of keeping her off the nest to break her broody in the past.This would be her first clutch though.

 

[MarkJr]

She won’t abandon the chicks after they hatch. If you move her before, she may decide she will try again some other time.

Try curtains in front of her box. My broody picks the favorite box and the ones next to it. Curtains allowed the girls to use the rest of the boxes no problem

 

[centrarchid]

I like to do so after. You can cause failure to hatch for some chicks when moved after hen stops rolling eggs during incubation, but before they hatch.

 

[aart]

I move my broodies before giving them fertile eggs.
Move them at night with fake eggs.
Give another day or so to make sure they will settle in new location.

 

[centrarchid]

Moving a broody hen prior to start of communication between embryos (chicks inside eggs) is most important part of procedure used to break hens in the cage when the hens are mot valued for egg production. I would not give her eggs after moving unless she continues broodiness in new location. Broody abort rate will be high following move.

 

[MarkJr]

I used ‘eggs in incubator’ as my basis. If I want to ensure hen raises my eggs, there’s no way I’m moving her off before hand.