New chicks; Broody hen and moving her

[mlorne]

Good day all,

I don't post much these days as two young daughters, the farm and 30 new chicks are keeping me pretty busy these days, but I do watch the forum regularly. What a great resource!

My question is concerning a brooding hen. This year old hen started to brood about 2-3 weeks ago. I don't think I handled it too well (was a little late bringing her food and water) but she seems to be managing ok (this dual purpose breed is reportedly very hardy). She is sitting on infertile eggs (no rooster) and we tried to introduce some day old chicks the other night. Did not go well at all, so we abandoned that experiment. However, I want to move her out of the coop she is in so the youngsters can move in without conflict. I do have an outdoor pen/run in the garden with 6 of her former roomates currently pasturing. Can I simply pick her up and move her to the pasture, or will she be disruptive to the current co-operative/peaceful inhabitants?

Thanks for the help everyone!
Michael

 

[gritsar]

If she is known to the chickens you are introducing her to, things should go well, but some of it depends on her standing in the pecking order before she was removed.

 

[mlorne]

Well, I moved the chicks in last night, and the brooding hen out. Wow, talk about a grumpy bird. She spent most of the evening wandering around the pasture puffing up feathers, scraping the ground and voicing her displeasure. She is visibly the largest hen of the group and I think she used to be the dominant. However, the smaller hens took the opportunity to try and push her to the bottom of the chain, harrassing and pecking at her (they, unlike the grumpy hen, had their beaks clipped at the hatchery). It didn't take long for her to reassert her position and started fighting back. That put an end to the harrassment.

At the end of the day, they all climbed into the coop and took up residence on a perch. The interesting part will be seeing if grumpy hen occupies the new nesting box.

Thanks for the help

Michael

 

[harveyhorses]

One of my BO has gone broody. I have been evicting her from the nest box every so often,and she has been on the roost at night. But the language she uses! When did she become such a potty mouth?, the things she was calling me! Is staying a fluffed up a sign of a broody hen? I thought they only fluffed when bothered but she is staying that way. (and trying to find out where she can get some boiling oil for ME!)

 

[gritsar]

Quote:

Sleep with one eye open. Doesn't sound like she's completely broken yet.

 

[harveyhorses]

I am afraid i might have hurt her feelings when I laughed at her. When I left for work she was in the run with the others though, maybe she is trying to stage a coo'p.
Sorry if my pun didn't work, my spelling is awful.