Newbie question

[sdsmowen]

I just found a nest tonight outside of the coop one of our little red hens was sitting on it...the hens all come back into the coop at night so the eggs wont hatch right?? We are very new to chickens but i was pretty sure the eggs needed to stay warm. I am also guessing that the hen is not fully "broody" if she leaves the nest to come to the coop at night.
I don't have a problem with her hatching the eggs ... i just am not sure what to do with the nest now?

 

[Pyxis]

If she doesn't stay on them all the time and keep them warm they won't hatch. How long has she been doing this? If she's not fully broody then she won't be hatching them. You could either just get rid of the nest, or get rid of the old eggs and move the newer ones to a safer place, probably in the coop, and see if she really becomes broody and wants to try and sit on them and hatch them for you. Either way I wouldn't leave the nest where it is - you don't want to lose a hen in the night to a predator!

 

[sdsmowen]

If she doesn't stay on them all the time and keep them warm they won't hatch. How long has she been doing this? If she's not fully broody then she won't be hatching them. You could either just get rid of the nest, or get rid of the old eggs and move the newer ones to a safer place, probably in the coop, and see if she really becomes broody and wants to try and sit on them and hatch them for you. Either way I wouldn't leave the nest where it is - you don't want to lose a hen in the night to a predator!

It looks like maybe 3 days worth of eggs all the birds get put up and locked in safely everynight we do a nightly head count which is how I know she is not sitting on them overnight. I went ahead and cleared out the nest but will keep an eye on her and if she starts acting really broody I will make sure to move her and the nest into the coop ( I would not ever leave her outside the coop overnight). Thank you for your quick response!