Moving Broody Hen and Eggs

[wild chick]

The dog crate sounds like a good idea, but I found out that a standard size chick can fit through chicken wire! The could squeeze through til about day 3 or 4. If you have bantams it would be much longer. I was like you, scrambling as I found stuff out with my first broody. Now I've built a broody pen. I've only had 2 broodies but both accepted the new nest with her eggs. I used plastic hardware cloth for the bottom 18". You can barely see it but I had to put some window screen around the roost, as the little boogers were up there while they could still fit through the chain-link holes!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Also, she is not in a nest box...she made her own nest in the corner floor of the coop. Shes's a weirdo!

That's good she's on the floor, you can easily fence her in without moving her too much, just enough to get the fence around her.

I buy these sections of wire from the store, they are 3 feet high and 10 feet long. I than form a circle with them because they are quite rigid and stand up on their own. They are invaluable for separating birds or chicks out.



Picture is a bit blurry but here's my bantam hen with her new chicks last year.

I also use it as a movable run for my chicks when small. So just an idea.