if you don't take the chance to move them you might lose all the eggs since the rats are eating the eggs. the way i see it right now is:
you leave them there rats eat all the eggs no chicks hatch
move the hens hope they stay sitting have a chance of babies hatching or hens quite and you still lose all the eggs unless you have an incubator.
they do make electronic traps that electrocute the rats/mice and uses batteries, you would have to find something the rats love to eat as well. i have 2 that work very well and you don't have to touch the dead rodents either. if you don't find a way to get rid of them they will eventually migrate to your house i would rather get rid of the pest now rather than letting them multiply and possibly getting my animals and family sick. you really do need to think about what is safest/healthiest for you and your chickens you can always incubate more eggs. I'm sorry if i sound a bit mean or anything I'm just given my honest opinion and looking at a bit differently than you might be right now. i incubate all the time and when i have broodies i let them sit if they quite i can always put the eggs in an incubator, i think a small incubator would be a good investment if you are wanting to hatch eggs that way if anything happens that requires you to put them in an incubator you will have one on hand.
you leave them there rats eat all the eggs no chicks hatch
move the hens hope they stay sitting have a chance of babies hatching or hens quite and you still lose all the eggs unless you have an incubator.
they do make electronic traps that electrocute the rats/mice and uses batteries, you would have to find something the rats love to eat as well. i have 2 that work very well and you don't have to touch the dead rodents either. if you don't find a way to get rid of them they will eventually migrate to your house i would rather get rid of the pest now rather than letting them multiply and possibly getting my animals and family sick. you really do need to think about what is safest/healthiest for you and your chickens you can always incubate more eggs. I'm sorry if i sound a bit mean or anything I'm just given my honest opinion and looking at a bit differently than you might be right now. i incubate all the time and when i have broodies i let them sit if they quite i can always put the eggs in an incubator, i think a small incubator would be a good investment if you are wanting to hatch eggs that way if anything happens that requires you to put them in an incubator you will have one on hand.
