Need advice on moving broody hen

[HopperVal]

Our only cochin hen went broody and I'd like some advice from people that have been in similar situations.

She's in a coop with 9 other hens and I have a few concerns about her laying on eggs in there with them. I don't want them jumping into the box with her and breaking her eggs. I'm also concerned because we're not exactly sure who the roo's genetic mother is (we know the cochin isn't) so we don't want his mother laying fertile eggs by him in the nest with the cochin and then hatching insest babies that may have issues. I can tell her eggs apart from most of my other hens most of the time but I don't want to make a mistake with that kind of thing.

We do have a brooding coop that we could move her to but I've heard mixed things about moving broodies and I don't want her abandoning the eggs. Ive read that if I put the roo in with her it might help keep her broody, is that true?

Thanks everyone very much for reading.

 

[Beekissed]

Yes, it makes a vast difference. She can't see...I even put a towel over the bodies and heads of those I move....they do not "freak out" if they cannot see where to freak TO. Same reason a possum can come in the coop and eat the breast right off a roosting chicken without her moving a muscle. She cannot see and doesn't know where to go to avoid the disruption, so she is very still and quiet.

When you move in the daylight, you have moved her whole world upside down and she will fret over this, over being separate from the flock, etc. Give her a night of darkness on her new digs and even keep her in the dark the next day and she will have forgotten the old digs and will get upset if you attempt to get her off the new nest to even view the eggs.

Done this numerous times and have found it to be 100% effective for moving a broody/eggs/chicks.

 

[HopperVal]

So for anyone still following: IT WORKED!

Moved her around 840 last night in the dark and she's still sitting on them this morning

And we have another egg so the total comes to 4!

Thank you soo much Beekissed and everyone for all your help it was very much appreciated!

Now we play the waiting game. May 3rd cannot get here soon enough!

 

[RiverChickens]

This is my first season of having broody hens so im no expert but ive found a way to move my hens that they havent been bothered by so far. I'm not sure how successful this will be for others but it's worth a try if you can do it. In the spring I cleared out the straw and put milk crates (mine are 12" x 12" ish) in my nesting boxes and put hay in them. The hens seem to really like them and actually fight over them verse the boxes I left normal. When a hen goes full broody (pretty much never leaves the nest for 4-5 days) I simply pick up the crate containing the nest, eggs, and chicken, all in one and carefully walk her to the broody area. If one is flighty I have a chicken wire top I made and can use but I haven't had to yet. they seem to like that everything is exactly the same and they are undisturbed on their nest. When I walk across the yard with them they seem to hunker down on the nest so I dont know if I have trusting chickens or I'm just scaring them so they stay put lol but if your worried cover the nest before you move it. Hope this helps someone out there. Good Luck!

 

[Jungleexplorer]

Our only cochin hen went broody and I'd like some advice from people that have been in similar situations.

She's in a coop with 9 other hens and I have a few concerns about her laying on eggs in there with them. I don't want them jumping into the box with her and breaking her eggs. I'm also concerned because we're not exactly sure who the roo's genetic mother is (we know the cochin isn't) so we don't want his mother laying fertile eggs by him in the nest with the cochin and then hatching insest babies that may have issues. I can tell her eggs apart from most of my other hens most of the time but I don't want to make a mistake with that kind of thing.

We do have a brooding coop that we could move her to but I've heard mixed things about moving broodies and I don't want her abandoning the eggs. Ive read that if I put the roo in with her it might help keep her broody, is that true?

Thanks everyone very much for reading.

Well, I don't know about Cochins, but I have never been able to successfully move a broody hen, and I have tried many times for the same reasons as you. It might work if you can move her nest and all at night in the dark, but if you try to move the eggs and her to a new nest, I just don't think it will. Best of luck.

 

[HopperVal]

Well, I don't know about Cochins, but I have never been able to successfully move a broody hen, and I have tried many times for the same reasons as you. It might work if you can move her nest and all at night in the dark, but if you try to move the eggs and her to a new nest, I just don't think it will. Best of luck.

Oh jeez, that's no good. If I were to try and move her should I do it ASAP or is there a point in her laying in which it may be more successful? And If I do move her should I put the roo with her?

I really would rather she be in the brooding coop... that is why we built it after all. But with the unusually warm spring the hens are raring to go broody and will not wait for us to move them lol!

Another option actually would be to trash this clutch and put her and the roo in the brooding coop together and try for another. I feel bad though especially if the eggs are fertile.

 

[sherylreno]

My hen went broody 2 1/2 weeks ago and I'm just like you, I can't have my hen hatch eggs in the coop with all the other hens. I don't have a rooster but I do have ducks and a drake. I moved my broody to her new crate with fresh straw during the daytime. I tried this last year when she went broody but I moved her at night and the next morning she was off of the eggs and stopped being broody. I gave her plastic eggs first to see how she would do.

She fixed up the straw and started laying on her plastic eggs. The next day was when I gave her 2 duck eggs to hatch and then the next day I gave another 2 to hatch. She's still laying on the eggs. She takes her breaks once a day in the morning and back on them she goes.

If you have an incubator then I would put the eggs in there the first day and then move her to the broody coop, give her plastic or any eggs and see if she will go back on them. If she gets back on the eggs you placed in there then I would go ahead and give her the eggs you put away.

If you do not have an incubator then this would be up to you to see if she will continue to sit on the eggs. Go ahead and move her during the day and see what she does.

 

[sherylreno]

I moved my broody on day 2 of her sitting on the eggs if that's any help?

 

[HopperVal]

Thanks very much for the replies!

I do not have an incubator so if I do move her we only have one chance at it.

Anybody have opinions on moving the rooster with her to keep her broody? Ive never experienced this before but I have read a few things that make me think it might work.

Decisions, decisions... I want to move her sooner rather than later to avoid any egg mix ups but I really don't want her to abandon the nest.

Again, thanks for the replies. Any other information is more than appreciated.

 

[Jungleexplorer]

Just mark the eggs she is on and then you won't have to worry about egg mix up.

Moving her or leaving her, It is a gamble either way. Some people have hens that will take to a new nest. Some breeds are better then others. I have a laying coop that is designed where the eggs will roll out of the nest into a tray on the outside of the coop, but even so, some of my hens are so determined to nest that they will sit there and pull the eggs back when the roll out. These laying nest are really ugly with carpet bottoms and you would not think a hen would look twice at nesting in them but some my hens refused to nest anywhere else. I have locked broody hens up in my pullet pen (when not in use) for up to a week trying to break them from their broodiness and watch them go right back nesting as soon as I let them go. But when I have tried to move them to a nice nest with straw and eggs, they refuse to set on them. I guess they just want to set where they are use to laying. I have other hens that are gamefowl and they refuse to set in any kind of nest. They will only nest in the weeds and bushes. It really has to do with the breed, I guess.

The bottom line is, if you leave her where she is, you run the risk of the eggs getting broke, and also that the adult bird might kill the chicks. But if you move her, she might break from her nest and the eggs will be ruined. In the end you are gambling either way. If she is going to break from the nest, it is better earlier then later. The longer she sets, the longer it will be before she will start laying again. Most hens will start laying again after a couple months if you break them from brooding early. But if they go a long time and even hatch chicks, it will be up to seven months before they will lay again. When I see a hen go broody, I lock her up immediately to break her, unless of course I want to hatch some chicks.