Moving a Broody Hen

[Rooster Don]

One of my hens has been sitting on her eggs for 10-14 days. I just now moved her eggs to a protected coop for her to nest on, then moved her immediately into the protected coop. She did not squawk when I removed her eggs, and did not squawk when I moved first moved her, now she is squawking and going bananas. I picked her up and put her on the nest of eggs, but she is still all worked up.

Should I move her back?

I am a little concerned to leave her in the open coop where there are nesting boxes on the second floor of the coop since I killed a peregrine falcon (not protected and plenty where I live) that had gotten in the coop, following losing a hen days before to what appeared to be a possum based on the type of eating that was done on the hen. This was following smelling a skunk in the area. I have seen two very large rats, one that I have killed, the other is still on the loose, so I moved her and her eggs so that she would be fully protected in a predator proofed coop and run.

Is it normal for a hen to be this worked up, and can I expect her to settle down, and let Mother Nature take over as in she will sit on the eggs soon, or have I broken a cardinal sin and rule by moving a hen from her personally selected nesting spot?

In the past I have let the eggs start to hatch, then moved the broody hen and her chicks, with no problem.

Any helpful comments will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Melody the Goat]

I would move her back. I have done this time and time again with my broody hens, but only once I ever succeeded. When my broody hens would start acting up after I'd moved them, they never went back to their eggs in the new nest I made for them, they just keep trying to go back to their old one.
Once the eggs hatch (assuming your hen is still fine) though I'd definitely move her and her chick(s) to a safer place because we used to have a rat living under our coop and he ate quite a few of our broody hens' chicks, even in the daytime.

 

[Melody the Goat]

Is there anything you can do to make your coop safer and more secure from predators?

 

[chickens really]

I have moved three Broody Hens recently....I put feed and water close to the nest and I walk away to let her settle on the nest....I have not had an issue yet.....My one hen got excited and clucked her head off too....Her drive to set and care for her eggs got her back onto the nest and she now has Chicks .......I never put her directly on the nest, I place her by it so she sees her eggs and I leave her alone to settle and go look back about 10 minutes later......

No need to put her back into the original nesting spot......


Best of luck......


Cheers!

 

[Rooster Don]

Well, she never sat on the eggs, so I moved her back to the second floor in an enclosed coop I have up there. She has less room but seems to prefer being elevated and who knows what else maybe. All I know is that within the hour she was nestled over the eggs and everything seems back to normal.

 

[chickens really]

That's good.....Yes, lots of times if removed from the nest, they go for a poop and feed....Then resume nesting...

Glad it worked out....


Cheers!

 

[Melody the Goat]

For some reason, as I said before, my broody hens would never adjust to the new nesting place after I had moved them, even after many hours (and I had quite a few chicks die in the eggs as a result, I just didn't want that to happen with you). Glad she got settled in though!