Hi all,
Ok, so for three days now, I have had a broody hen sitting on her eggs.
However, I have two issues:
1. she is nesting in one of our six nest boxes, and the other hens are jumping on top of her to lay, essentially laying their eggs on top of her (even though we have plenty of other available nest boxes - they seem to all like this particular one)
2. The nest boxes are about 70cm (28") above the ground in the coop, and I am worried that this will not be suitable when/if the chicks hatch as that's quite a drop if they fall out!
This is my first time experiencing a broody hen, so please forgive me if my concerns seem a little paranoid/silly.
So I guess my biggest question is, what should I be doing?
Should I try and move her to another location, and if so, how do I do this with the least amount of stress to the hen?
Ok, so for three days now, I have had a broody hen sitting on her eggs.
However, I have two issues:
1. she is nesting in one of our six nest boxes, and the other hens are jumping on top of her to lay, essentially laying their eggs on top of her (even though we have plenty of other available nest boxes - they seem to all like this particular one)
2. The nest boxes are about 70cm (28") above the ground in the coop, and I am worried that this will not be suitable when/if the chicks hatch as that's quite a drop if they fall out!
This is my first time experiencing a broody hen, so please forgive me if my concerns seem a little paranoid/silly.
So I guess my biggest question is, what should I be doing?
Should I try and move her to another location, and if so, how do I do this with the least amount of stress to the hen?