MY HEN IS BROODY!!!!!

[OHSpartan]

Yahooooo!!!!! My hen has gone broody. Last night was her first night on the nest and we managed to find it today. She has been laying for about 2 weeks and we couldn't find the nest. My dog actually found and pointed her out to me without (proud of my 16 wk pup).

Now my dilema. I think I may be doomed. Her nest is on the hillside leading up to my neighbor's barn (think vine-covered fill-dirt). She is minorly hidden, but it won't take critters 3-4 weeks to sense her heat in the night. She's a sitting duck (

).

Can I build a small (~4'x4') enclosure and put it around her without having her abandon the nest?

About when will the keets be born, if in fact everyone survives the exposure? Early-October evenings in Ohio are 40-60F.

 

[thebanthams]

you can built it or , but maybe try to move her into the coop while its dark. she will be ok.

 

[OHSpartan]

if keets will hatch, I would like to have them. Moving her to the coop at night would kill my chances of a successful hatch.

I tried to get her to go broody in the coop, but she abandoned the nest with about 24 eggs in it.

 

[OHSpartan]

Just went out to take measurements for a temporary enclosure for her. All of her eggs have fallen out of the nest

. The nest was on a hill and evidently too small. she must have dumped the eggs when she moved around a bit. By my records, she probably has about 14-18 eggs in the nest and 12 are spilled down the hill.

She will be getting up soon to get her dinner. I will slip over and take the eggs that fell out of the nest then take her to the coop after it gets dark. A couple days in the run should break her broodiness then she can go back to her primary duty....bug snatching.

 

[thebanthams]

She might go int the box if you put her eggs in!

 

[OHSpartan]

she abandoned the nest. I went out to close out the coop and she was perched with hubby.

Oh well, we will incubate some next spring. I would collect and incubate now, but don't have time to run the process.

 

[PeepsCA]

Sorry to read that she abandoned the nest... but it may have been for the best, this late in the season.

 

[PeepsCA]

She might go int the box if you put her eggs in!

Not likely, Guinea Hens are very particular/picky about where they lay/brood a clutch of eggs.... has to be their idea, not ours. They are not at all like chickens in that aspect.