Moving Broody Hen and Eggs

[halleyd591]

I have a year old Silkie hen that has been sitting on 5 eggs for 11 days. Is it normal for them to reject an egg? She had pushed just one egg out to the other side of the coop. I would assume her instincts tell her there was something wrong with it??
Also, When is it safe to move Momma and eggs to safe location? I am new to chicken keeping and this is my first time with letting a broody hatch eggs. She is currently in the coop on her nest with my other 6 chickens. I definitely want to move her and babies preferably before the hatch to ensure their safety. I definitely don't want her to abandon the eggs though either...We candled tonight and they are all good!
Would it be ok to move her and the eggs on day 20 to a different coop? Or would it be best to seperate the other chickens from her on day 20 until they hatch and then move them? Will she abandon them after they hatch??
Any advice would be great!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Be there when they hatch and move them after most have hatched or by dusk whichever comes first. Generally an egg pushed out is no good, I would candle it and see if it's developing.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Mama knows best. But never, never, never, move the eggs and hen. Always have a nest that can be closed up, picked up, and moved AFTER DARK, sitting hen, nesting material, eggs, nest box and all, then leave it in a new, safe, and did I mention QUITE location so that the hen never realizes that she has been moved. Hens bond to the nest not her eggs. Work with the hen but never try to force the hen to conform to us humans' poor idea of how a hen hatches baby chicks.

 

[halleyd591]

So since she's not on a movable nest I shouldn't move her? If I can block her off would it be ok to move them all after they hatch?

 

[FarmerFrank]

I am in the same situation and was going to ask this question as well. Mine has only been sitting on fertilized eggs since Saturday and about a week and a half sitting on non fertilized. Our nesting box is movable and am currently building her a separate pen and brooding box. Hopefully someone can recommend ideal time in days to move her to new location.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Once all or most hatch you should be able to move her to the floor of the coop, and hopefully she's okay with it. A good broody will move with the chicks, a poor broody won't and will probably attack the chicks any, that has been my experiences. I put them in a small fenced area so they stay together.

 

[wild chick]

I'm just a year into chickens myself. I had a broody setting in a nest box and on day 7 I moved her eggs to the floor level at dusk (not dark). I'd put her out in the coop with food and water to distract her as she hadn't been off the nest that day. When she came back in she went back to the nest box above and I gently picked her up and put her in front of the new nest. She went right to the eggs and stayed there. The next two days I had to redirect her when she would try to go to a nest box after her break, but then she was good for the duration. She now has 4 chicks about a month old! I now have a 2nd broody, did exactly the same thing with her and she stuck like glue to her eggs. I just had to show her where they'd been moved to. They are both GLW, if that makes any difference. What I have read here on BYC is you don't touch the eggs after "lockdown" in incubators so I don't touch them when a broody is the incubator. I think it's 3 - 5 days before hatch when lockdown begins. I don't know if more hens accept a move or reject a move of eggs & nest, but both mine were fine with it. It's their first clutch, they are just a year old.

 

[Persinger89]

My son has a bantam hen sitting on eggs. He is supposed to take her to fair but we have been told she could possibly abandon eggs if we move her. Thousands will be around her so there will be no peace and quiet for her. Someone suggested incubating for the rest of their term but we are not sure on how long they have. Suggestions??

 

[halleyd591]

Seems like a lot of us are in the same boat here! I didn't realize she might abandon the nest if I moved her so that sort of messed up our plan of action. I think I will place a wire dog crate (wrapped in chicken wire so the babies don't escape) around them on day 20 and when they all hatch I will move them all to the new coop and run my husband is building just for them! Will it be best to keep them inside the coop for a while before I let them out to range?
I am in NC and it is HOT.. heat index is like 100. I will have water and food available from hatch day but how will they keep from getting too hot even if out from under mamma is over 100 degrees? My first round (chickens ever for that matter) were mail order so I raised them with the heat lamp and all that jazz. Apparently the rules are different with a broody hen is involved.

 

[halleyd591]

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