Need Help ASAP

[swestover]

I have a chicken that has been sitting on ten eggs, she is a good momma but the nesting box is up off the ground about 3 feet. It is not very big and not big enough for ten chicks! I tried to move her into a small penned in area in the coop but she would not sit back on the eggs. It was an hour and i finally moved her back to the nesting box. Now that the chick has hatched can I move her and will she sit on the eggs and keep her chick warm? I moved her in the daytime last time and she did not like it at all and would not even go in the nesting box in the pen. What do I do? I am afraid the little chicks will fall out and the other chickens will get them.. Any suggestions?? Thanks!

 

[drohan]

I had the same issue with two of my hens. What I did was to put them into a large dog porter so that she felt safe. She sat just fine after that. Don't worry too much about the little hatched one. She won't try to take it out of the nest until the rest of her eggs have hatched. I moved mine in the morning the last time. I think the biggest issue was just where I moved her too. They have to feel safe. I have a girl who has two young chicks that is living in a dog porter for the time being. When the chicks are big enough, she will let me know she is ready to move back into the coop. She will take her chicks into the coop before everyone else comes in to roost so that they can get a place on the perch. (Which usually takes several attempts).
If you don't have a dog porter, you might try a card board box with flaps so that she can "keep" the other hens out.
Good luck.

 

[swestover]

Thank you for the reply! I will try and cover the penned in area so she feels safer. I just worry about her not sitting and hatching the rest of the eggs. I certainly do not want the chick to fall out of the nesting box and get hurt. This is the first time I have let a hen hatch a clutch of eggs so it is all new to me.