Possibly moving a broody hen

[Ranchwithaview]

I need advice. I have a hen that decided to go broody yesterday. I suppose technically she is still a pullet. She has only been laying eggs for a month. There are two nesting boxes in the coop, but the three hens insist on using one.
The biggest problem for me is that I have lost two days of eggs (she is keeping). She pecks at us when we try to get them. One of our three hens got injured last Monday and hasn't laid since. She is just about ready to join the little flock again. So, we were down to two layers and now none...well no eggs for us anyway.
What should I do? I don't mind her trying to hatch, but should I move her? Wear iron gloves to retrieve eggs? Haha. I could move her to where the injured hen was staying, inside, or to the coop where the chicks have been living outside. Thank you for your ideas.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I would move her and break her, let your other gal recover... if you want chicks... plan for the next time she goes broody because she WILL again but when her mind and body will both be more mature. My personal suggestion. If allowed to set now she will not lay eggs again for probably at least 8 weeks maybe 12. As is, it will be another week or so before she returns to lay. Broody's can be awesome, if the timing is right for you. I like to adopt feed store or hatchery chicks to a hen after she had been broody a couple weeks as it helps avoid boys, shortens the time the hens health is at risk and satisfies her hormones. Some have been relentlessly broody though and their comes a limit to how many birds I can support so I HAVE to break them sometimes. This early, she may be one of those... but hopefully only twice per year, for her own sake.

Do you have a rooster? Do you have plans for more roosters?

I hope your other hen is okay!

Moving them is often the same as breaking them, but you can try. Mine only stay on the nest once hatch is going. I know others have had success moving nests though.

If you do hatch... mark her hatching eggs, set them all at one time, and collect new deposits daily to avoid staggered hatch.

 

[Ranchwithaview]

I would move her and break her, let your other gal recover... if you want chicks... plan for the next time she goes broody because she WILL again but when her mind and body will both be more mature. My personal suggestion. If allowed to set now she will not lay eggs again for probably at least 8 weeks maybe 12. As is, it will be another week or so before she returns to lay. Broody's can be awesome, if the timing is right for you. I like to adopt feed store or hatchery chicks to a hen after she had been broody a couple weeks as it helps avoid boys, shortens the time the hens health is at risk and satisfies her hormones. Some have been relentlessly broody though and their comes a limit to how many birds I can support so I HAVE to break them sometimes. This early, she may be one of those... but hopefully only twice per year, for her own sake.

Do you have a rooster? Do you have plans for more roosters?

I hope your other hen is okay!

Moving them is often the same as breaking them, but you can try. Mine only stay on the nest once hatch is going. I know others have had success moving nests though.

If you do hatch... mark her hatching eggs, set them all at one time, and collect new deposits daily to avoid staggered hatch.

Thank you for the very helpful reply.

 

[Ranchwithaview]

I moved my broody hen out of the nesting box. It felt like my fingers were in peril, but I succeeded. I marked and put her egg in the out of favor nesting box, and after we went away, she went into it. Since she is determined, I gave her two other marked, fertilized eggs. She is sitting on three eggs total.

Hopefully, we will at least be able to collect one egg a day from our healthy, non broody hen.

Our injured hen is doing much better. Her tail is up, she flaps her wings, walks around, and adjusts her bedding. All signs of progress for her.