Need suggestions for my brooding hen.

[chickadde]

My hen is sitting on nine eggs and are due to start hatching this Saturday the 5th. My problem is she has them in the nesting box which is about 3 feet from the ground, and in an area of 10"x10". I tried moving her and the eggs to an enclosed area in the hen house away from the other birds, and she was not happy. She kept pecking the wire to get out and caused a small cut above her beak. I ended up putting her back up on the nesting bed for the night. I did put some medicine on her face. Please any suggestions would be helpful. What if I put a board across the front so the babies cannot fall but still allows her to get in and out. I'm just afraid of the other chickens hurting the babies.

 

[hokankai]

I had this problem as well. I ended up putting a dog pen on the floor with a nest and forcing her to stay down there. She was upset for a few minutes and tried to get out, but once she realized she couldn't she settled down and went back to the nest for the remainder of the hatching period.

Definitely keep trying to move it. Do it at night and scoop some bedding along with the eggs. She'll be confused and annoyed, but she should return to the nest. Just wait it out...she's just throwing a tantrum