Moving a Broody?

Date sort Score sort
featheredplanets

featheredplanets

Crowing
Nov 28, 2017
2,881
4,415
466
UK
My black sex link caught the broody fever two days ago. I was/am really excited and I’m going to buy eggs for her at the weekend. I do have an incubator incase she ‘un-broods’ herself. Trouble is, I have two nest boxes, a 3ft one and a normal one, this is because whoever made the nest boxes put them too high and I couldn’t reach anything from the other boxes, so they all use the normal one near the doors. Even though everyone has been laying eggs on top of her, she’s stuck on them like a champ. I think she’s going to be a good broody too as she takes herself out twice a day and isn’t making herself sick. Anyway, I need to move her if she’s going to hatch chicks as I don’t want the other hens standing on and messing about with the eggs. I tried moving her to the other box but she just moves back. Also, the coop floor is mesh and is not OK for chicks to walking on (this is temporary but will be like this for a couple of months). So I set a prefab coop up and shoved her in there this morning, but she doesn’t like it. She just stands at the door clucking. I could try and move her at night but when she realises in the morning, won’t she notice? I contemplated making the long nest box into a broody box but it’s too hard to get to and clean. Does anyone have any advice on what to do and how to do it? It’d be really appreciated. Thanks!
 
Yes. You can do it! But, dark, secure and quiet.

We have a brooder-solid sides with mesh top. We keep this in the barn and it has access to the run via a dog door. When we had a broody, we added a nest box in the corner and moved her there and she settled in. We gave her chicks a day later (she had been broody for 2.5 weeks in the regular nest boxes). All went well. Then she went broody again, and we thought that we would give her some eggs to sit on. We moved her to the nest box in the brooder, but we made a few mistakes and she broke herself of broodiness that time. Our mistakes: 1. too bright - sunlight streaming into most of the box (so, later we added an old beach towel to half of the mesh top over the nest for darkness). 2. Moved her during the day (see above note about brightness). 3. We allowed her access to the run, however we had a moveable fence so that she could go out, but the other chickens could not get into brooder. This was very distressing to her! She clucked and paced for quite some time. So, the next time we just kept her in the brooder bc it is big enough for her to walk upright and have a waterer, feeder and can poop away from the nest.

If you can partition off an area of the coop for momma and babies, then momma won’t be alone while she sets. But if your coop isn’t big enough for this, then maybe you can add some other nest boxes for the other ladies. Can even be tubs or boxes with bedding, and then block off nest box with broody using wire (so no more eggs under her) and let her out 1-2x per day.

Good luck!
 
50-45-1 said:
I move my broodies to there broody hutch after dark.
The spot you move her to should be dark, quiet and secure. Give her the eggs there so she does not loose interest.
Most hens will settle in and stay. Some won't.
Good luck!
Click to expand...

Thank you! I’m going to put her back in the coop and move her at about 11pm. It’ll be pitch black by then. And she’s very calm so going near her doesn’t stress her which should make it easier.
 
Acre4Me said:
Yes. You can do it! But, dark, secure and quiet.

We have a brooder-solid sides with mesh top. We keep this in the barn and it has access to the run via a dog door. When we had a broody, we added a nest box in the corner and moved her there and she settled in. We gave her chicks a day later (she had been broody for 2.5 weeks in the regular nest boxes). All went well. Then she went broody again, and we thought that we would give her some eggs to sit on. We moved her to the nest box in the brooder, but we made a few mistakes and she broke herself of broodiness that time. Our mistakes: 1. too bright - sunlight streaming into most of the box (so, later we added an old beach towel to half of the mesh top over the nest for darkness). 2. Moved her during the day (see above note about brightness). 3. We allowed her access to the run, however we had a moveable fence so that she could go out, but the other chickens could not get into brooder. This was very distressing to her! She clucked and paced for quite some time. So, the next time we just kept her in the brooder bc it is big enough for her to walk upright and have a waterer, feeder and can poop away from the nest.

If you can partition off an area of the coop for momma and babies, then momma won’t be alone while she sets. But if your coop isn’t big enough for this, then maybe you can add some other nest boxes for the other ladies. Can even be tubs or boxes with bedding, and then block off nest box with broody using wire (so no more eggs under her) and let her out 1-2x per day.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips! I’ll definitely try and make the prefab darker!
 
Moved her when it was almost pitch black, I saw her tucking the eggs under her and getting comfy. The prefab is really dark, I covered it in a big tarp but she wouldn’t stay. When I went out this morning she was pacing and clucking. I let her out and she went straight to the nest box in the main coop. My stepdad said we’ll just have to make a door for the big nest box and let her out 2/3 times a day. And then I’ll move her to the prefab when the chicks hatch.
 

Similar threads

H
Broody or Bullied?
2
Replies
16
Views
2K
HenpeckedBabble
H
LaurenRitz
    • Like
Broody?
Replies
4
Views
313
LaurenRitz
LaurenRitz
G
    • Like
Won't lay in nest box
Replies
7
Views
537
Gma213
G
HeathenHavenHomestead
    • Haha
    • Love
    • Like
Barn Cat in Nest Box
Replies
5
Views
607
GirlsHuntToo
GirlsHuntToo
LaysnGwen
    • Like
Post broody behavior check?
Replies
3
Views
701
rayed
R

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom