I have a little broody bantam that has been sitting tight on her nest in a regular nest box for about a week and a half now. I've built her a little broody coop that will give her and her a separate, enclosed space within her regular coop with the rest of her flock. I plan on moving her and her eggs into it soon. The thing is, I would really like to give the whole coop (that I will put the broody coop into) a really thorough spring cleaning before the chicks are hatched. I have a plan, but I'm not sure if it will work, so I want advice from other people who have had broodies. My plan is to take her and her eggs from the nest box tonight, under the cover of darkness (to keep her calm), and place her in the broody coop, in a dark unheated room in our house. The next day I will clean her regular coop. Then, I will move the hen, eggs and broody coop back into the cleaned coop at night after dark (the broody coop is movable and had handles to help carry it easily). Does that make sense? Do you think she will keep sitting through all of that activity, or will it freak her out? I've had a broody from this flock before and it was almost impossible to break her broodiness, so I'm hoping this hen will stay broody also.
I tried moving my broody mama to a little broody house in the main coop and she wouldn't have it. She went crazy. So I let her out and she went right back to "her nest". That is where she stayed untile she hatched her eggs and then I moved her back to the broody coop and she was fine. Goodluck in what ever you decide!
I moved Goldie, my broody BO, and her 12 adopted eggs to a broody coop inside the main coop last week. I just cut a hole in a cardboard box the same size as the nest box she was in and filled it with wood chips. I then put all of her eggs in it then moved her into the broody coop. She ate, drank and pooped (yuck) then puffed up, strutted and squawked at the other hens who were interested in what was going on. After about 10 minutes she settled into the new nestbox and has been the perfect little broody ever since. She has been sitting on 12 EE/Russian Orloff eggs since 4/1. She was actually broody for almost 2 weeks before I got her some fertile eggs. I haven't tried candling the eggs so I'm not sure if they are developing. Hopefully I will get at least a few little ones!