Moving Broody/Adopting Chicks

[HubbysSweet]

Hello, I have an Australorp that went broody on me, we only have two chickens and so I thought this was a perfect time to enlarge our small backyard flock. Maybe it's because of the craziness going on right now, but I couldn't find any hatching eggs of breeds I wanted for less than $55+shipping. Anyways, I then moved to plan B.... having her adopt brand new chicks arriving at the store this coming Friday.
I don't think the chicks will do well in the nesting box where she's been brooding could fall out.... my question is this. Do I move her into a small brooder now to give her time to settle? Or just wait until the night I plan on placing the chicks under her?
I know all this is a risk of not working, I thought that it might be good to let her settle for a few days, but the chicks will be arriving precisely on day 21 so I could just place them under her at night, watch 10-20 or so minutes, and if she's talking to them, accepting them.... then move her to the chick safe brooder.
Thoughts?

 

[cavemanrich]

If the new brooder is close by the current nesting box, I would remove the nesting materials, and eggs she is sitting on, and place into new area. I would close off the old nesting area, at least temporarily, with a board, or cardboard.
Some questions, and suggestions.
You do not have a location in your profile. We don't need you specific area, but a general location that shows your climate conditions. Lets us fine tune suggestions according to ambient temperatures.
Pictures of your coop would be helpful to give IDEAL suggestions. Maybe there are better options than what I may be imagining.
My thinking of the best brooder would be one on ground level, (inside coop) open from the front. Reason for the open front; Your hen will need to walk in and out to eat drink, and eject. If she would have to fly out, of a closed container, (no roof) she could,,,,,BUT the bad part is when she would return,,,, Could possibly land hurting chicks from above.
Is there a way to make her current nesting area safe for chicks when they arrive. That may take placing a large board ( 3 feet x 3 feet) so any chicks that venture out , walk on board and do not fall off to floor. A picture of coop interior certainly would help.
Slip the chicks in at dark. You did not mention how many you were getting.
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[HubbysSweet]

Thanks for responding! I live in Cottonwood AZ so warm/hot weather. The coop only gets sun in the very early morning. Here's a picture of the nest box she's in.... she's on the left. As you can see, there's quite the shelf to get back into the nest box should one get out. We were planning on getting 4 chicks, the lady said they would be about 48 hrs old when they get there, I'm hoping that they are young enough to still bond with her.
She's the sweetest little broody! No growling or pecking at me when I lay treats on the shelf for her to eat, or give her a pet..... but I hatched her out and raised her myself so she's pretty tame. She's been sitting for about 16 days now on 3 ceramic eggs.
If I moved her, I planned on using one of those ridiculously large plastic toats and bring it inside to a quiet area of the house with her own food, water, and nest box with wire on top of the toat.... so no need to fly in, or out. Any moving or placement of chicks will happen at night of course. Thanks!

 

[HubbysSweet]

If the new brooder is close by the current nesting box, I would remove the nesting materials, and eggs she is sitting on, and place into new area. I would close off the old nesting area, at least temporarily, with a board, or cardboard.
Some questions, and suggestions.
You do not have a location in your profile. We don't need you specific area, but a general location that shows your climate conditions. Lets us fine tune suggestions according to ambient temperatures.
Pictures of your coop would be helpful to give IDEAL suggestions. Maybe there are better options than what I may be imagining.
My thinking of the best brooder would be one on ground level, (inside coop) open from the front. Reason for the open front; Your hen will need to walk in and out to eat drink, and eject. If she would have to fly out, of a closed container, (no roof) she could,,,,,BUT the bad part is when she would return,,,, Could possibly land hurting chicks from above.
Is there a way to make her current nesting area safe for chicks when they arrive. That may take placing a large board ( 3 feet x 3 feet) so any chicks that venture out , walk on board and do not fall off to floor. A picture of coop interior certainly would help.
Slip the chicks in at dark. You did not mention how many you were getting.
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

I thought I had clicked the reply button, see above post/response. Thanks!

 

[cavemanrich]

I recommend the easiest solution. Seeing the coop interior, It would be easiest to place a board, or boards, or piece of plywood on the rail edges right in front of the nesting boxes. That is where you would keep chick feed and water. Your lil ones could venture out onto board, and feed, and drink. Then they do like to go under mama for comfort.
When you see your hen adopted the lil ones well, you can add more hay into nesting box to bring it more level with the exterior board, so chicks can crawl out easier. Your hen will be taking the lil ones out into run area in just a few days anyways. You can make provisions/adaptations so lil chicks can follow mom out.
I planned on using one of those ridiculously large plastic toats and bring it inside to a quiet area of the house with her own food, water, and nest box with wire on top of the toat.
I see this as being in jail, and your chicken will not feel as comfortable being caged there at all. Could bring about bad behavior in my opinion.

 

[HubbysSweet]

Thanks, I am a bit confused... I collected 3 eggs today.... 2 this morning and then 1 this afternoon. The broody girl is still faithfully sitting on her eggs, day 19 now....
Is it possible that she is still laying? I might have missed an egg yesterday, but since we only own one other chicken, it's either that the broody is laying or my other chicken layed 3 eggs in 2 days?

 

[cavemanrich]

Where were the eggs? If broody was laying them, they would be next to the ceramic ones. Or is the other chicken laying in the broody's nest, so all the eggs are there, and you only remove the real, and leave the ceramics?

 

[HubbysSweet]

It was in the other nestbox.... where the other hen has been laying. She's 19 days into being broody, so she shouldn't be laying anymore. But I was wondering if it was even possible for the other hen to lay 3 eggs in two days.

 

[HubbysSweet]

Ok, I have no idea what is going on.... just found two broken, but left alone/not eaten eggs with Really thin eggshells (probably why they broke) on the inside coop floor this morning! Broody hen is sitting in her nest.

 

[cavemanrich]

Sounds like low on calcium. Not sure what you are feeding your hens. If you are feeding them LAYER, and giving them too many treats, that does dilute the amount of calcium in diet. Feeding treats is something I am guilty of BTW.
I do solve the dietary shortfalls of calcium by offering my hens Cracked Oyster Shells Free-choice, always. I also use an ALFLOCK feed @ 2% calcium because I have layers, and non layers. Some of my Geriatric Hens are already on Social Security for quite some time.