New broody hen, first time

[bigsky henhouse]

Hi all, I'm new to this as it appears so are a bunch of folks. I have 14 hens, one little Buff Brahma has decided she wants to be a mom. She's sitting on about12 - 14 eggs, not all of which are hers. I have her in a nesting box that is about 15 inches off the floor. I think I read that maybe I should move her so when the chicks hatch they won't fall out and hurt themselves. I have a pretty good cover of wood shavings under the box. Any help and or suggestions would be helpful. It's about two weeks into the process, I'm thinking about the 18th of September for a target hatch date. Thanks.

 

[Mahonri]

If you are already in two weeks, I'd leave her be.. Just put up some duct tape or a board in the front of the nest that they can't jump over. Then when hatch is over you can move them to where ever the mama will raising the chicks.

 

[ThePamperedPullet]

Yep, I agree with Mahonri. Just leave her be for now. If you try to move her then she is likely to want to go back to where she was. Wait till after the chicks have hatched and then move her, nest and all if possible, to where you want her to be to raise the chicks.

 

[bigsky henhouse]

Thanks for the input. Another question - should I move her out of the coop or just put her in one of the nest boxes on the floor? Will the other birds bother the chicks? Shes pretty protective already, I lifted her to see how many eggs she had or if she was just pretending. She growled and pecked at me so I thinks she'll protect them but en masse it might be overwhelming for her. She's a small buff Brahma.
My first time with chickens, it has really been a kick. I can sit and watch them and relax, great stress reliever. Eggs are good too.

 

[pgpoultry]

I would move her out from the other birds for when the chicks hatch as some hens can become aggressive to chicks which are not their own.

Good Luck with the hatch,

Sandie

 

[mmaddie's mom]

Quote:
I move my moms and babies to the front of the pen in a large wire dog crate (back and part of the sides are covered for shelter and privacy/security) with food and water, asap. They are still close to the rest of the flock but can't be hurt. I leave them in the crate for about 2 weeks to help with the bonding and to get a little size on them.

And, yes, I can just feel my blood pressure dropping when I sit and watch them!