Moving hen and nest after hatching?

[cscigu]

The hen is question is a little bit crazy acting. We've got a cardboard box on a shelf in our garage that hens have come in an used to lay in for years. Our crazy hen decided she just had to sit her eggs here. I tried to move her once early on, but she abandoned those eggs, and came right back. We ended up leaving her 5 eggs, that we didn't much think would be fertile. Well, two have hatched now.

The trouble is the nest is about 3 feet up, and in the garage. I have to close the overhead door at night, or we'd be overrun with June bugs, etc. If I moved her now, box and all to a pen I can lock her in, would that be OK? That way the chicks for get out from under her wing in a couple days, and still have access to mom. Also wouldn't worry about falls, dogs, etc.

We normally don't keep a rooster around, so this is our first hatching, though we've had hens for years.

 

[Sjisty]

There must have been a rooster around somewhere!

I move my mother hens all the time after the last chick hatches. She and they will be fine.

Good luck!

 

[cscigu]

There must have been a rooster around somewhere!

I move my mother hens all the time after the last chick hatches. She and they will be fine.

Good luck!

Yeah, neglected to mention that I did keep one rooster this year, because he's easy to get along with, and I thought some hen might go broody. He's younger than than most of the hens, though, and some of the hens kinda shut him down. This hen will sit on anyone's eggs, though.

Just don't want to deal with chicks in a box in the garage if I don't have to. Its going to be so nice to have mama do that.