I am a 'middle of the road' person when dealing with our broodies. We have multiple places we have set up within the coops that allow either partial or nearly complete seclusion from the flock ( but always within sight and sound of them).
Our bossiest hens who are higher ranking get to choose where they want to brood These are the hens I know defend their nest just fine, though they are rarely messed with due to their proven boss hen behaviors when brooding. They don't mess up which nest to go back to and are fine taking care of themselves. These are truly the care free broodies who make it look easy even though we know it isn't. They stay in the main coop the whole process.
Our middle rank hens....they often prefer to stay in their chosen nest but we sometimes find stray eggs under them. These hens we fashion a screen to block off the nest, it seems the other hens loose interest after a few days and we usually remove the barrier for most of the day once egging is done and we make sure the hen has plenty of time to get out each day. The barrier is back in place for last couple of days before hatch to prevent any interference. Once hatched they get moved to a quieter area for a couple of days before going back into the flock once the chicks are pretty mobile.
Lower rank hens or hens who have history of nest confusion. They get a more secure broody hut area or nest in the 'people area' of the coop. Still within sight and sound of the flock but private access to plenty of room to move around, eat and dust without harassment from other birds.
The thing is there is no 'perfect answer' to how to handle broodies...the right answer is simply what method works best for you, your coop schedule, your particular hen's ability and attitude and your flock's experience and attitudes towards broodies and chicks. Read through a few months worth of posts to get your best plan... good luck!
Our bossiest hens who are higher ranking get to choose where they want to brood These are the hens I know defend their nest just fine, though they are rarely messed with due to their proven boss hen behaviors when brooding. They don't mess up which nest to go back to and are fine taking care of themselves. These are truly the care free broodies who make it look easy even though we know it isn't. They stay in the main coop the whole process.
Our middle rank hens....they often prefer to stay in their chosen nest but we sometimes find stray eggs under them. These hens we fashion a screen to block off the nest, it seems the other hens loose interest after a few days and we usually remove the barrier for most of the day once egging is done and we make sure the hen has plenty of time to get out each day. The barrier is back in place for last couple of days before hatch to prevent any interference. Once hatched they get moved to a quieter area for a couple of days before going back into the flock once the chicks are pretty mobile.
Lower rank hens or hens who have history of nest confusion. They get a more secure broody hut area or nest in the 'people area' of the coop. Still within sight and sound of the flock but private access to plenty of room to move around, eat and dust without harassment from other birds.
The thing is there is no 'perfect answer' to how to handle broodies...the right answer is simply what method works best for you, your coop schedule, your particular hen's ability and attitude and your flock's experience and attitudes towards broodies and chicks. Read through a few months worth of posts to get your best plan... good luck!
