Moving Hen and chicks

[Utard]

So I have kind of a weird situation.

I have a hen that laid and got broody in a part of the barn I did not want it to happen.

So today the chicks are hatching. It is kind of up high about 5 feet. I am concerned the cats will get the chicks if they jump down without the hen.

So my question is this. If it would be ok to move the hen, chicks and unhatched eggs to the coop after dark tonight? Or should I just wait until tomorrow and then move them in the coop? Over the last few hours they have been hatching. I think now I can hear about 3 different chicks?

 

[trailrider330]

Regardless of when you decide to move them, I would definitely do it during the time that chickens normally roost. You might want to wait until you are reasonably sure that they are done hatching as you don't want to move her and have her abandon the eggs to take care of the chicks (unless you have a back-up plan, namely access to an incubator).

In the meantime, is there a way to block off where they are so no one gets pushed out of the nest? I do not think those chicks would survive a 5 foot drop unless it was into something soft like straw.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I put a wire ring around mine, so no one can leave before I want then to, you're going to want to confine them for a week or so anyways, until all the chicks are strong enough to keep up, I don't like that do things at night stuff, as I'm not around if anything goes wrong, whether she will still sit on the remaining eggs when you move her depends on the hen, they will leave the nest two to three days after the first on hatched to feed them.

 

[Utard]

Yeah I wish I could put some chicken wire around them but she is on a tarp on some hay behind some chairs. Just a dandy spot she found.