This is my first time with chickens My hen went broody about 5 days ago. She is in a spot in the coop where the ducks cannot get her but the other hens can and are trying to lay with her, peck at her, ect. Can I move her and how? I've read some use a cat carrier? I have one, I just don't know how to pick her and her nest up without damaging the eggs or upsetting her.
What I do is prepare the carrier/kennel first with nesting material. Then at night move the eggs and then place momma in the kennel on top of the eggs. Close kennel. Depending upon your hen, you may want to cover the kennel with a towel for the next day - to help keep her calm when she notices she is some place "new". Some hens freak out and will leave the eggs, some worry for a bit but settle back down and some are so serious about brooding that they never even notice they were moved. I keep food and water for mom in the kennel, within reach for her and make sure she gets out once a day to go potty. Usually when I am out in the coop - gathering eggs and cleaning, I just pull the broody out and put her outside. Sometimes she will sit in the same spot the whole time, other times she will run around - dust bathe - bathroom - maybe chase some chickens and then be ready to go back.
I let my first broody be. I marked the eggs that she was brooding with a pencil and sometimes the other girls would lay some with hers. The marking made it easy to figure out which ones were new and which ones were intended to hatch out. My second was a free ranging broody. She was out in the rain wind and icky weather but I also let her be. I didn't move her until the day that I heard the chicks peep. I now have another free ranging broody who will also be left alone until the time gets close. I am of the belief that hens can either feel the movement or hear their chicks well before they hatch. I don't think that they will abandon a nest if a hatch is imminent. As a total newbie non expert with chickens. I'd put up a small fence around her and provide her with a ready source of food and water and leave her be until the time gets close. Then you can probably get away with moving her safely before the chicks actually hatch out. Chickens are such odd creatures aren't they.
