Should I/Could I move my broody hen and her eggs?

[jennyalger]

We have a hen who's gone broody. Rather poor time of year in my opinion (fall in northern MN isn't ideal hatching conditions). The problem is she's gone broody in the woods rather than in the coop. I am afraid she and/or her eggs will get too cold before they hatch...and don't even know what to think about the cold when they DO hatch. My husband tried moving her to a kennel in our coop, but she didnt like that at all, and we wound up placing her back in her original nest before the eggs were wrecked. The eggs seem fine...moving and veins when candled. Should I let her continue laying in the woods, or should we try a different way to get her to the coop? What is the best way to move her without her rejecting her eggs? She's a beautiful araucana, and our roo is a banty, so the babies would be adorable, and we don't want to waste 12 araucana eggs, when she's so eager to brood them. Please help!! It's getting cold up here!! Thanks so much!

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I've found that some hens will more easily accept being moved than others. It seems to be best to move them after dark, and to move them together with their nest already in a nest box. Though there are some super-broodies who can be moved separately, it seems that the fewer changes they must endure the more success you'll have with that hatch.

I don't know about cold-weather brooding, but do have lots of confidence in chicken instincts. They do a remarkable job of keeping those eggs & chicks at the optimal temps, no matter the outside weather.

I'd be more concerned about critters getting to her out in the woods. Perhaps you could devise some sort of cage/enclosure around her nest site, leaving her with food, water, and a bit of ground space for pooping.

Or make the move in stages, first sliding a floor under her nest, then adding a top, then moving the whole thing into the warmer coop.

I wish you all success, let us know how it goes!

 

[seminolewind]

I don't think I'd leave her in the woods. She's a sitting duck for becomming dinner, and so are the eggs. So I would move her at night, and put her in a small fenced off area in the coop. Don't chickens know they're supposed to brood in the right place?