other chickens laying in nest with broody hen

[grandmahen]

Our great chicken adventure started last year so I am still a newbie in thie way to do things. We have five Ameraucunas and one Silky in the same pen. We have two nests but they all lay in the same nest. Sometimes it's one nest and sometimes it's the other, but now there's a problem. The Silky has gone broody but the others squeeze into the nest with her to lay instead of going in the other one. I have some fertilized eggs on order so she can hatch, but I don't know how to separate her out. If I build her a new nest will she go in it? I'm thinking I also need to build her a new coop to keep her and her babies, should they hatch, away from the big girls. Also, we have two new chicks that were given to us. They are still in the house in the closet because they are just getting their feathers. They can't live in the closet forever, so how do I put them in the pen, too?

 

[patyrdz]

The silkie will have to be moved to a place all by herself. I would do it at night so you do not disturb her too much. As far as the chicks go, it depends on how old they are. If it is really cold out, they need to be fully feathered to stay outside.

 

[Chickenmaven]

I would not put the 2 babies in with the broody. If you could seperate her within your coop, perhaps with a large dog crate, that might work.
I am a newb to the broody thing, too. We have one girl on 6 eggs, first time ever. I read somewhere if you move a broody & it "breaks" her broodiness, she wasn't that settled to begin with. We have moved our little hen twice. We were gonna let her stay in the big, communal nest. Just mark the hatching eggs & sort out the daily new eggs. One of her heavy-footed coopmates cracked one of the hatching eggs -

- so we put her in a separation pen. The pen wasn't so secure and the more aggressive girls kept getting in, so we built a little room in the corner of the coop. Built, like hammers, nails, drilling going on... It did not bother her. Then we picked her up, nest & all, and plopped her into this room. No problemo. I think she has the zen, broody focus to do the job!