Moving broody hen?

[Old Ben]

One of my Wyandotte’s has gone broody! Which is great for me because I had just been talking about raising chicks. I’m going to buy fertilized eggs from online and let her sit on them. Only problem is she’s sitting in a normal built in (so I can’t move it.) nest box. I’m going to make a sort of “broody box” out of cardboard and do what I can so the other hens leave her alone. But how do I move her to that box? And should I leave her in the normal nesting box until the eggs get here?

 

[Gray Farms]

Leave her alone until you get the eggs you want her to set. Once you do get the eggs move her very CAREFULLY AND QUIETLY AT NIGHT to the box you want her to set in. Doesn't work 100% of the time but good chance it will.

 

[Old Ben]

Leave her alone until you get the eggs you want her to set. Once you do get the eggs move her very CAREFULLY AND QUIETLY AT NIGHT to the box you want her to set in. Doesn't work 100% of the time but good chance it will.

Okay, now I’m not sure what’s happening. She was sitting on eggs earlier, and made this “growling” sound when I got near her. She even took an egg I put in front of her and added it under her. But now she’s just out there with the rest of them. There were 3 eggs where she was sitting, did she decide not to hatch them on her own? Or is she building a clutch of eggs?

 

[Old Ben]

She also sat on them for a few hours before leaving the nest.

 

[Naser]

Put her in a cardbox inside her nesting box, after a day or two move her inside the cardbox at night to the new place, keep some eggs or dummy eggs or even supermarket eggs under her, if she stays you can buy fertilized eggs, chances are fifty fifty she will stay.

 

[Naser]

She also sat on them for a few hours before leaving the nest.

Probably she changed her mind

 

[Chicksnmind]

I moved my silkies when they were sitting and it didn’t faze them a bit. Today I have a bantam Serama mix hen that decided she wants to sit. I moved her and took the eggs (she bit me that turd) and came back to check on her a hour later and she was sitting on another egg! So I think you should be ok.

 

[aart]

Broody signs:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, doesn't she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.


How I manage broody:
When I have a broody I wait until she's been in the nest most the day and all night for 2-3 days...along with those other signs I posted.

Then I put her in the broody enclosure with fake eggs in the floor nest, she won't like being moved, but if she is truly good and broody she will settle onto the new nest within a half a day.
Then I give her fresh fertile eggs and mark the calendar.

I like them separated by wire from the flock, it's just easier all around.
No having to mark eggs and remove any additions daily, no taking up a laying nest, no going back to the wrong nest after the daily constitutional.

 

[Gray Farms]

Okay, now I’m not sure what’s happening. She was sitting on eggs earlier, and made this “growling” sound when I got near her. She even took an egg I put in front of her and added it under her. But now she’s just out there with the rest of them. There were 3 eggs where she was sitting, did she decide not to hatch them on her own? Or is she building a clutch of eggs?

Yes, it there is just three eggs she isn't ready to set yet. She won't start setting them until she lays more. I would expect here to start after she gets at least 8-10 eggs or so.

 

[Shadrach]

One of my Wyandotte’s has gone broody! Which is great for me because I had just been talking about raising chicks. I’m going to buy fertilized eggs from online and let her sit on them. Only problem is she’s sitting in a normal built in (so I can’t move it.) nest box. I’m going to make a sort of “broody box” out of cardboard and do what I can so the other hens leave her alone. But how do I move her to that box? And should I leave her in the normal nesting box until the eggs get here?

Why do you want to move her?
Are the other chickens showing any signs of bothering her?
Most of the hens here sit on their clutches of eggs in normal coops and can come and go as they please.