Two of my free range Cochin hens went missing last week. One of them has been spotted coming back for food and water. Yesterday we followed her and found her under our neighbor's shed on 13 eggs! Now the question is, "Do I move her or let her stay?" She is very flighty and may abandon if I move her (last year she abandoned a nest when I candled them). If she stays she may get eaten by something.
I am sure the other hen is on a nest. I just can't find her.
First, do you want her to hatch out the eggs? Seems obvious, but not everyone has the room or desire for more birds.
Assuming that you want the chicks, can you make her current nest safe? Will your neighbor let you put an electronetting fence around the shed? Or if you don't have electronetting, then some other type of fencing that you can make somewhat dig-proof and climb proof with fence floor extensions and fence top extensions, both pointed towards the outside? If you do this, be sure that she has food and water available inside the enclosure.
If that's not an option, do you have an incubator to finish incubating the eggs if she does abandon the nest when moved? Or can you borrow one? Or would you want to buy one? If it comes to that, be sure that the incubator is all set up and running at full temp before risking the move.
If you can't make the current nest safe, and you want the chicks, and you have an incubator available, then I would move her. If you don't have an incubator available, then you have to decide what's more important to you. Is she more important, or is the potential for chicks more important? It's only the potential for chicks, since if she gets killed and you don't have an incubator, the embryos still die, even if the eggs don't get crushed during the attack. Plus there's no guarantee that the eggs will hatch, even if everything goes well.
If you do decide to move her, be sure to read back on this thread over the last 3-4 weeks for information on moving a broody, and calming a nervous broody after she's been moved.
