Please Tell MeWhat I Should Have Done

[peepinglaura]

First of all, let me say that you guys are always so sweet about never making fellow chicken students (including me) feel badly about our errors. However, I really want utter honesty here: what was my fatal misstep, and what's the best thing to do next time?

Our chickens free range. We've had occasional predator problems, losing a chicken here or there (4 in a year). One of our hens decided to nest outside somewhere. We would every once in a while see her fleetingly, but she would run back to her nest before we could see where it was. Finally, a full 20days after she disappeared, I found her nest. I borrowed a couple of her eggs to candle, and they were great and looked ready to hatch. We were going to move her into a nesting box, but she was wild- really went on crazy attack mode if we went near her. Even if we could have put her in, I didn't think it would work, as the plan failed before with other hens- they always seemed recognize their nest rather than their eggs, and refuse to sit on them when they've been moved. So, since she looked really, really rough, I left her a few pellets of feed, put back her brush cover, and went to bed.

I am sure you know where this tale is going: I got up at 6:30 to let out the birds. I walked over to where the hen was nesting, and found a massive pile of feathers, a feather trail, no hen, and cold eggs. it was just horrible. Here she sat on these eggs through NH's rainiest month in a century (truly), and on the finalday she pays for it with her life. It is far too great a coincidence that the predator would have found her that exact night, after 3 weeks of exposure. What did I do? Was it:

a) locating her, somehow drawing attention to the spot
b) leaving the very few grain pellets that I thought would be of no interest to a predator
c) failing to recover her as well as I thought
d) something else I haven't thought of


Next time, what should I do? Ideally finding her sooner would be better, but we have 10 acres, bordering on 100 acres on conservation land. Should I not look for her if I'm not prepared to relocate? Force her into a smaller box so if she sits it has to be on her eggs? Relocate her in our roomy nesting coop and hope for the best? She's been eying the other hen's babies for a long time. I was so happy for her that she was about to be a mom

On the bright side, some of her eggs are still good.I tossed themin the 'bator and some just might make it!

Thanks for any guidance,

Laura



c)

 

[nnbreeder]

Nope, nothing you did caused the attack. It was just chance that it happened after you found the nest.

As far as the future goes. Don't take the hen to the pen, take the pen to the hen! Build a good heavy chicken tractor that you can place over the hen and nest. Make it about 8 feet long and about 4 feet wide and 2 feet tall. Place a good roof on it to keep the hen dry and place the feeders at the opposite end of where the nest is so she has to get up to eat and drink. Use a good quality 1/2in hardware cloth on the sides to help deter all predarors, even snakes.

 

[peepinglaura]

Thanks! that makes sense! Why should the tractor be so long? 8 ft is way bigger than our nesting coop.

Thanks again!

Laura

 

[nnbreeder]

It just gives the hen more room to excercise her legs when off the nest. Plus it will give the chicks more room to grow up and they can stay in it a little longer for added protection.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Plus lumber comes in a standard 8' length so it makes it easier to build.

 

[nnbreeder]

You know I was actually not going to mention my laziness for building a tractor that will sit under a 4x8 sheet of plywood but since you brought it up..... yep that's another good reason!

 

[peepinglaura]

The less I cut the wood the better it will turn out. Thank you!

Laura