Need help please! Sorry long post

[em530]

Hello everyone, so I have a hen that has gone broody (Doris) I have decided to get some fertile eggs from a friend and hopefully let her hatch some chicks, iam picking them up tomorrow and she has been broody for 5 days (he advised this to make sure she is committed) so she has been sat on infertile eggs for 5 days which iam planning to swap over tomorrow, my problem is she is in with the flock I tried moving her the day before yesterday to a seperate pen with the nesting box that she has settled in, she went barmy trying to get out I panicked and put her back she settled immediately back on her eggs, so yesterday I put a partition in her existing coop to seperate the other hens from her, she had her own food and water sauce,she didn't have a problem with this until she somehow she got out to have a dust bath in the outside pen and then couldn't figure out how to get back to her eggs so I removed this for her to get back she is once again settled but I don't know what to do?? Any attempt to seperate her seems to upset her but I'm under the impression that she should not be with the flock?? Does anyone have any ideas/suggestions any help appreciated

 

[nchls school]

Hello everyone, so I have a hen that has gone broody (Doris) I have decided to get some fertile eggs from a friend and hopefully let her hatch some chicks, iam picking them up tomorrow and she has been broody for 5 days (he advised this to make sure she is committed) so she has been sat on infertile eggs for 5 days which iam planning to swap over tomorrow, my problem is she is in with the flock I tried moving her the day before yesterday to a seperate pen with the nesting box that she has settled in, she went barmy trying to get out I panicked and put her back she settled immediately back on her eggs, so yesterday I put a partition in her existing coop to seperate the other hens from her, she had her own food and water sauce,she didn't have a problem with this until she somehow she got out to have a dust bath in the outside pen and then couldn't figure out how to get back to her eggs so I removed this for her to get back she is once again settled but I don't know what to do?? Any attempt to seperate her seems to upset her but I'm under the impression that she should not be with the flock?? Does anyone have any ideas/suggestions any help appreciated

The problem with being in a flock situation is that the other hens might disturb her when they decide to lay eggs in the box where the hen is brooding possibly breaking eggs in the process. Fresh eggs also have to be collected on a regular basis. If that can be prevented then leaving her there is OK.

 

[em530]

Thankyou, The first day or two I saw a couple of the hens climbing on top of her to lay although not so much now but it is still a risk, also when she jumps off to get a quick bite to eat the other hens all attack her I think I will try and seperate her again I'm just unsure how at the minute

 

[nchls school]

Some hens accept a move better when it is done in the dark/at night. If it's possible to move the whole nest that will help also.

 

[em530]

Thankyou I think I will give that a go tonight then, i can easily move her nest box with her, I will wait until it's dark and try that