My nest ia 3 feet above ground!

[farmerbrownsdaughter]

OK, so my bamtam cochin is sitting on 3 standard eggs due to hatch in 5 days. Problem is the nest is 3 feet high! how do I deal with this? what if the chicks fall?

 

[Mahonri]

fix a board or something in front of it that they can't jump over. Then when everybody is out of the shell, you can take the chicks and mom out of the nest.

 

[farmerbrownsdaughter]

hmmmm, so I block mom in there too?

 

[shelleyd2008]

I had a hen hatch on a hidden nest a few days ago. We kept finding chicks and couldn't figure out where they were coming from

Finally, mama showed up with 1 baby in-tow, and finally we realized she had her nest in an old bobwhite pen. The top of the pen has a small coop, about 4-5 feet above the floor. The first 2 chicks we found apparently fell out of the loft, then mama came out with a tumbling baby for sure. 3 more chicks were still in the loft. All chicks are fine

The biggest problem you'll have is when mama wants to go back to the nest, I'd just move her and babies to a nest on the floor somewhere and skip making a ramp.

 

[missred871]

Quote:
dont put a full covering over the entire nest just make a skid across the botteom about the size of a split 2x4. You dont want to block momma in cause she needs to get out to poop and eat and drink. you DO NOT want broody poop in your nest...YUCK!

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
Yes, mama won't come off the nest until the chicks are ready to, then you can move them all.

 

[farmerbrownsdaughter]

OK, good to know, so I need somewhere for her to bring her babies at night on the ground?

 

[pgpoultry]

Momma will need somewhere safe on the ground to bring her babies into. If possible take down her nest and place that in a safe location for her, she will hopefully recognise it and be happy to continue to sit with her chicks there.
I think we DO forget that a lot of hens fly very well. I have a neighbour who does not provide a hen house. His hens roost on a barn perch about 15 feet up overnight.
I keep my hens in a hen house as my very heavy Brahmas seem only capable at best of flying off the garden retaining wall to the ground. None of them have ever tried to fly properly since they were about 12 weeks old. But CAN they run........
Sandie

 

[Animallover606]

I have a broody White Black Tailed Japanese Bantam that has a nest 6 feet off the ground and sadly her eggs aren't fertile since we have no roosters. We did have one but then a coyote got him so.........

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
That's how mine are, they roost in the barn rafters. Ours aren't quite that tall, only about 9 feet, but even the fluffy-butt cochin hen can get up there, so I guess it works. We have a ladder set up for mamas with babies, so the babies can hop up the ladder. It works, they get up there, even at just a few weeks old

The bigger hens usually cheat and hop on top of the quail cages (hanging from rafters) before flying up into the rafters, but it's still 5' to the top of the cages, then another 4' to the rafters above