My biggest concern is not the height of the nest but what does it look like. My broody hens regularly hatch in nests two to four feet above the coop floor and don't have issues, with one exception I'll get to. I've seen a broody hen get her chicks down from a 10' high hay loft. She flew to the ground, told them to jump, and they did. They were not injured. When my broody hens decide the hatch is over and it's time to bring them off the nest they follow the same procedure, hop down and tell the chicks to follow. I've never had one injured doing that.
The one problem came when I let a hen hatch in a cat litter bucket. The top was 7-1/2" x 11-1/2" and about 4 feet above the coop floor. The first chicks to hatch often climb on top of Mama while they are waiting for the later chicks to hatch. When the chicks fell off in this nest the hen was too close to the edge. The chick missed the nest on the way down and fell unhurt to the coop floor. Four different times I had to put a chick back in with Mama, I suspect the same chick most of those times. I retired that nest after that hatch.
Anything is possible. A chick might get hurt falling or jumping from height. A chick might accidentally fall from a nest if it is playing close to the edge and not be able to get back up. My nests are configured so the hen is not sitting close to an edge and I have a decent lip to hold the bedding in. These have never been an issue for me but anything can happen.
I let my broody hens hatch with the flock and raise their chicks with the flock. Bad things can happen if you try this, but bad things can happen if you try to isolate her during incubation, hatch,and raising them. I'm not trying to say my way is best, but that there are different ways to approach this.
When my hens hatch I have food and water on the coop floor where the chicks can get to them after she brings them off the nest. The hen never takes them back to a nest but keeps them on the coop floor at night. If you put a nest down there she might use it, she might not. I've seen chicks just a couple of days old jump close to a foot when Mama tells them to. They are not that helpless once they get active. My broodies usually keep the chicks in the coop for a couple of days before they take them outside but once they take them outside they spend practically all day every day outside, bringing them back into the coop at night. My coop is an 8x12 walk-in with the pop door about a foot off the coop floor and ground outside. I build steps using pavers to help the chicks in and out. Mama takes care of the rest. If you have a pop door that they need a ramp to get in and out you can have issues with that.
Most of my broody hens allow other hens to lay in the nest with them. Sometimes while the broody is out for her daily constitutional to eat, drink, and poop another hen may lay an egg in her nest. I gather all the eggs I want her to hatch and mark them with a black Sharpie before I start them. Then, after the other hens have laid for the day I check under her and remove any eggs that don't belong. As long as you do this daily those eggs are good to eat.
Whether you isolate the broody or let her incubate with the flock you need to start all the eggs at the same time. That avoids a staggered hatch which can add a lot of stress and drama to the process.
There is nothing wrong with isolating a broody hen if you want to. There are plenty of people on here that do regularly and can give you instructions on the best way to do that. There are different options on how. One warning though is to make sure the chicks cannot escape the broody hen's protection once they hatch. If your containment has openings big enough for the chicks to escape the broody's protection that are at risk from the rest of the flock, from predators, or they may not be able to get back to her for warmth.
The one problem came when I let a hen hatch in a cat litter bucket. The top was 7-1/2" x 11-1/2" and about 4 feet above the coop floor. The first chicks to hatch often climb on top of Mama while they are waiting for the later chicks to hatch. When the chicks fell off in this nest the hen was too close to the edge. The chick missed the nest on the way down and fell unhurt to the coop floor. Four different times I had to put a chick back in with Mama, I suspect the same chick most of those times. I retired that nest after that hatch.
Anything is possible. A chick might get hurt falling or jumping from height. A chick might accidentally fall from a nest if it is playing close to the edge and not be able to get back up. My nests are configured so the hen is not sitting close to an edge and I have a decent lip to hold the bedding in. These have never been an issue for me but anything can happen.
I let my broody hens hatch with the flock and raise their chicks with the flock. Bad things can happen if you try this, but bad things can happen if you try to isolate her during incubation, hatch,and raising them. I'm not trying to say my way is best, but that there are different ways to approach this.
When my hens hatch I have food and water on the coop floor where the chicks can get to them after she brings them off the nest. The hen never takes them back to a nest but keeps them on the coop floor at night. If you put a nest down there she might use it, she might not. I've seen chicks just a couple of days old jump close to a foot when Mama tells them to. They are not that helpless once they get active. My broodies usually keep the chicks in the coop for a couple of days before they take them outside but once they take them outside they spend practically all day every day outside, bringing them back into the coop at night. My coop is an 8x12 walk-in with the pop door about a foot off the coop floor and ground outside. I build steps using pavers to help the chicks in and out. Mama takes care of the rest. If you have a pop door that they need a ramp to get in and out you can have issues with that.
Most of my broody hens allow other hens to lay in the nest with them. Sometimes while the broody is out for her daily constitutional to eat, drink, and poop another hen may lay an egg in her nest. I gather all the eggs I want her to hatch and mark them with a black Sharpie before I start them. Then, after the other hens have laid for the day I check under her and remove any eggs that don't belong. As long as you do this daily those eggs are good to eat.
Whether you isolate the broody or let her incubate with the flock you need to start all the eggs at the same time. That avoids a staggered hatch which can add a lot of stress and drama to the process.
There is nothing wrong with isolating a broody hen if you want to. There are plenty of people on here that do regularly and can give you instructions on the best way to do that. There are different options on how. One warning though is to make sure the chicks cannot escape the broody hen's protection once they hatch. If your containment has openings big enough for the chicks to escape the broody's protection that are at risk from the rest of the flock, from predators, or they may not be able to get back to her for warmth.
