Need tips/hacks for separating broody hens

[Frazzled chicken tender]

I have 3 hens that are broody right now with their own clutches of eggs. Not an ideal situation, I know. They are all in the same coop, in their own nesting boxes. I constructed a makeshift small fence to block off the broody who hatched first, then woke up this morning to find it knocked over and young chick dead. I know the set up isn’t ideal, to say the least. I was wondering how people handle/keep separate2 or 3 broody hens at one time. I can’t afford to construct brand new secure coops. I do have smaller Amazon coops outside the larger main coop. They are not as secure but I can try to make them more secure with bricks and wire. Also I think moving the broody hens along with their eggs is a bit tricky as they have never slept outside the coop. I could potentially construct something small inside the main coop for one hen, and move another hen to the outside coop. Thank you for any ideas!

 

[Perris]

Yes it's tricky, and sometimes is not necessary - some hens can manage, some not, some co-brood happily, some don't. How far apart are the 3 hatch dates? 1 clutch has already hatched apparently; when are the other 2 due?

 

[Frazzled chicken tender]

Yes it's tricky, and sometimes is not necessary - some hens can manage, some not, some co-brood happily, some don't. How far apart are the 3 hatch dates? 1 clutch has already hatched apparently; when are the other 2 due?

Thank you! They are a few days apart, it seems the hens get up and let other hens in to lay then hop back on. But I think roughly up to at most a week apart. One hen (I think the most aggressive but could be wrong) has the youngest eggs and keeps trying to steal the eggs of the mother whose baby was killed. I tried moving that one to an outside coop but she just wouldn’t settle on the eggs.
I feel really guilty that I’ve mishandled this. Add to that the young chick had started to trust me, which I hadn’t experienced before with chicks under a mother hen. Sorry.. I just realized I don’t have a good answer to your question. But 2 hens have clutches pretty close in hatch date within a few days. But the third more aggressive hen who keeps trying to steal eggs is on a much younger set. I put her on these hoping she would start her own and leave the other eggs alone. She was cramming herself in with the other hen trying to co parent. Now in hindsight that would have been better than the current situation.