Old to chickens new to hatching

[SSWadian]

I FINALLY have a broody hen after years of not having any (my Brahmas were never interested). Last year I bought a couple Buff Orpingtons for this purpose. It's 1 of these hens that started to go broody (in the favorite nesting box of course) on 4/17. On 4/18 another egg appeared. I marked all eggs. Our nesting boxes are 3 or so ft off the ground, so last night I moved her & the 4 eggs to a dog crate inside the coop & left it open. Went out this morning, the nesting box in the crate was tipped over, 1 egg was cracked & momma is back in the 1st nest on another egg! I put the other 3 back under her but am doubtful we"ll have any success this time.

 

[Meg-in-MT]

Hello! Welcome to BYC!! Hopefully she'll get some hatched. How old is she?

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC. My broodies were happiest on nests 6ft high and only after hatching did I move them to ground level. Make yourself at home and enjoy the forums.

Best wishes

Pork Pie

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
Put her back in the crate with food and water and lock her in with the three eggs.
When you first move a broody to the new site they have to "graft" to it. Once she settles in, she'll be fine.
What works for my transplant broodies is I gently remove them from their nest and put them outside and wait for them to snap out of the trance. They usually tear off after taking their huge poop. Then you need to stick around until she heads back to the nest. She will make the mistake of going back to her original nest where she started being broody. Guide her back to the new site. Once she settles on the nest, lock her in again.
Continue to repeat this until she consistently goes back to her new site at least 4 times without making a mistake that you need to correct. Then you can leave the crate door open.

 

[Sequel]

Hi and welcome! I’ve never hatched before so it’ll be fun to read about your experience. Keep us posted and good luck!

 

[Isaac 0]

Welcome to BYC!

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Welcome to our FUNomenal community!
Happy Hatching!

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC. Great advice from @DobieLover . As she has stated hens are generally more imprinted on the egg site than on the eggs. Set her crate up in an enclosed area that the rest of the flock can not access.

 

[rjohns39]

Hi and welcome to BYC We're so happy you've decided to join us

 

[Peppercorngal]

I have a hen that gets broody as well and she's a Buff Orpington! Maggie always picks the highest nest to sit in. Moving her has NEVER worked out. I have learned to leave her where she wants to be. It may be the current favorite nest, but there are others to choose from. I mark the eggs she is setting on and remove any others that are laid in the box. Maggie is very friendly and lets me do this. After the chicks hatch I move her to a "ground floor" nesting box, and she will stay there and raise her chicks with that box as home base. I find it's best not to fight with instincts! Good Luck!