moving a broody hen

[kevinnini]

i have a flock of 12..no roo. ones broody now and i was thinking of putting some fertile eggs beneath her.

should i move her to a isolating pen? i can make a nice nest there.

or should i just leave her where she is and slip some under her?

what will the other hens do if they come home to roost in the hutch and find baby chicks?

thanks, kevin

 

[HEChicken]

I would move her. If you let her brood in one of the nest boxes, the other hens will squeeze in every day and deposit their eggs, and then you'll have to lift her off - causing stress for both of you - each day, to retrieve the infertile eggs.

Best thing to do is prepare a place for her to brood, and then move her at night. Let her sit on a few infertile eggs in the new place for a couple of days to see if she will accept the move (some don't appreciate it and temporarily stop being broody immediately after you move them). Once she has accepted the new place, you can slip under and retrieve the dud eggs and replace them with fertile and at that point, chances are she will sit long enough to hatch and raise them.

 

[kevinnini]

Can I move her away from the flock to the garage?

 

[HEChicken]

Can I move her away from the flock to the garage?

You can but...if there is any way to move her to a place where the rest of the flock can still see, hear and interact with her a little, that would be better. If you totally remove her, when it is time to reintroduce her, it might be like starting all over with the introduction of a new bird. If she stays where they can see her, she remains part of the flock and the reintegration is usually fairly seamless.

 

[kevinnini]

Got it, thanks