Separate place for broody hen and eggs?

[messianicmom]

We haven't hatched any chickens from our hens yet because we don't have a separate place for them, the mom and chicks, to go.
Is it necessary to have a separate place?
We have 1 Buff roo, 2 barred hens and 5 buffs hens.

Rachel

 

[justtoni44]

I am certain many folks will have different ways of doing it.....
If I am lucky enough to have a hen decide to set................I put her and her eggs in a large dog kennel and, of course, made certain she got out a few times a day.

The last time I did not protect one.the squirrles stole her eggs and the other hens continued to lay in her nest.
Ended up with 21 eggs in her nest.
they sat right on top of her to lay. She ended up with one chick.........enough to make her happy

I kept her and her chick seperated in a cage about 2x4.the others could see her but not bother the chick.
I intagrated them at about three weeks for the chick.
No one has bothered the chick but have read others who had hens that would kill chicks.
Thats what works for me...........I free range during the day, they might be territorial if they are in a run.

 

[TurtleChick]

like justtoni44, i've read that there are several ways of doing it: from letting them set where they choose and then moving them at hatch, right before hatch, just after hatch, etc. or moving them as soon as they go broody to a separate area in the coop. or moving them into their own area altogether. i think it mostly depends on what you're set up for, whether you're willing to risk losing some eggs or chicks if things go awry etc etc. i've heard about the other hens killing chicks but i've also heard lots of people say they just let their ladies raise a brood right in the coop-at-large. i think it just depends on your little flock. only way to know for sure is to try.....

myself, i have 3 girls currently sitting in their own separate broody condos. i tried letting them set where they were in the nest, but in the piling in and out of the nest box by the other girls trying to get in and lay their eggs 2 of my fertile eggs got broken.

so i went ahead and moved my girls - i just put all of the eggs under two of the girls, moved the first one out with some non-fertile eggs for her to sit on in her new condo (to make sure she was going to stay put on her new nest). after a day or so when i was sure she was going to stay, i gave her all of the eggs, and moved the other two girls to their new digs with "fake" eggs for them. once i was sure they were going to stay in THEIR new spots, i gave them back their share of the real fertile eggs. worked great for me - my girls all moved and are sitting quite happily like glue on their new nests. i'm blessed/cursed with very stubborn broody girls!

good luck in your endeavors!!!