Should I relocate my broody hen?

[smott]

So, I'm a first-time chicken momma and I have 7 mo old OEGB hen that is broody. I have allowed her to sit on 6 fertile eggs that belong to my standard size hens, and we are about a week in. (I candled last night and all appear to my inexperienced eye to be developing). She has chosen to nest in the big girls' favorite nesting box of course. (There are 6 boxes, but they all prefer the bottom corner and that is where she sits). A couple of the big hens will try to run her out every morning and add an egg or two in there, but I have the original 6 marked, and I just remove the extras daily. The other hens are using the nest box next to her.

I am just wondering if I should try to relocate her, and if so, when? I have read stories of hens abandoning their eggs when moved, so I don't really want to risk that. Problem is if I leave her where she is, when the babies hatch, I'm not sure what will happen. The coop she is in is only about 8 x 4, so it really doesn't have space inside the coop to separate her. I have 5 standard size hens and a RIR roo in there, plus a bantam roo and a trio of rebel silkies who refuse to stay in the bantam coop. The attached run is 8 x 20 total, and I usually open it up to allow them to free range in the afternoons.

Will the chicks be safe in there? I could fix her a separate space somewhere outside the coop, but I've read that it can be difficult to re-integrate the mom and chicks later as well. Advice appreciated!

 

[NatJ]

In future, move a broody hen before giving her the eggs you want her to hatch.
She will either sit where you want, or quit being broody, but you will know which in just a few days.

For this one, you will probaby have to make-do somehow. Once the chicks are actually hatched you should be able to move her and them. A space adjoining the other chickens would be great at first, and then you could decide what age to put them in with the others.

For integrating with the other chickens, try it first while they're free ranging and watch what happens. A mother hen will usually chase away any other chickens that come near her babies. You can watch how far she chases them, and then decide whether your coop and run are big enough for her to have that much space, or whether she needs to range with them but sleep in a separate pen for a while longer.

Can you house the other chickens somewhere else for a few days? I'm thinking a day or two before the chicks should hatch, until the point when they're all hatched and you can move the hen and babies.

If you arrange an adjoining pen, it could house the big ones for a few days while the eggs hatch, then the hen and babies for a while after that.

 

[smott]

I honestly wasn't planning on hatching any, and she had been sitting for a couple of days before I realized what she was doing lol. At that point, it was either try to break her or just let her keep them and I decided to let her keep sitting. These are my first chickens that I got back in the spring, so I'm learning as I go!
I do have 2 additional coops, but one has my growouts in it, and the other was supposed to be my bantam coop (however the chickens have kind of continued to stay in the groups they were in the brooder with rather than allow me to separate them by size lol).
I don't see any way I could create an area big enough for all the others to move into in the next couple of weeks, so I will probably need to fix something just for momma and chicks to move into after hatched (plus my husband is DONE with all my chicken additions...)

 

[mcdze]

just as another idea, dont know your setup, but if you could wire off the corner she's in enough to provide alittle space and food and water nice and quiet like using screws vs a hammer so you dont run her off, ive successfully 'changed' which nest box my chickens are using .. just have to set it up with plenty of nice fluffy dry grass, shape it into a nice deep cozy depression, add an egg .. make it appealing .. if they tend to favor the seclusion factor of the corner maybe extend a side or add a top board to the new box .. be some work, but better than messing with momma ..

 

[smott]

just as another idea, dont know your setup, but if you could wire off the corner she's in enough to provide alittle space and food and water nice and quiet like using screws vs a hammer so you dont run her off, ive successfully 'changed' which nest box my chickens are using .. just have to set it up with plenty of nice fluffy dry grass, shape it into a nice deep cozy depression, add an egg .. make it appealing .. if they tend to favor the seclusion factor of the corner maybe extend a side or add a top board to the new box .. be some work, but better than messing with momma ..

This may be my best option. Just hate that the coop is so small already... had to fight with husband the whole time we were building bc he thought it was a waste of space. He gave up when I started building number #2 LOL.

 

[NatJ]

I do have 2 additional coops, but one has my growouts in it, and the other was supposed to be my bantam coop (however the chickens have kind of continued to stay in the groups they were in the brooder with rather than allow me to separate them by size lol).
I don't see any way I could create an area big enough for all the others to move into in the next couple of weeks, so I will probably need to fix something just for momma and chicks to move into after hatched (plus my husband is DONE with all my chicken additions...)

Since that's what you've got to work with:

I would leave things as they are until about 2 days before the chicks are due to hatch.

At that point, continue to leave the hen in the coop, but close the door to keep the other chickens out. They can spend time in the run, sleep (probably crowded) in the bantam coop, and do some free-ranging like usual. Maybe put a few cardboard boxes or wooden crates in the run as temporary nestboxes.

3-4 days of this will probably be long enough. Then move the hen & chicks to the bantam coop (since you say the bantams won't use it anyway). After the hen & chicks spend a few days in the bantam coop, let them out to free range with the other birds, and start thinking about when/how to integrate them back into the big group.

 

[smott]

@NatJ
Thanks! My "bantam" coop is completely separate (has it's own run), and it is occupied, (just not by all the bantams as I planned). I have 10 in there of various ages, mostly bantams, but also some standards that were too young to mix in with the older group yet. If I had to start over, I would do it all different, because I have a mixture of ages/breeds/sizes and they all like to hang out with the groups they grew up with rather than in the coop I think they should go in LOL. Since they all free range together, it's just way simpler to let them sleep in the coop of their choosing. I actually have another broody hen holed up in there with 2 silkie eggs as well, but do have a separate "cage" area built underneath my roost table specifically for that purpose in there. Wish I had been able to do that in the first coop, but I had to deal with how the hubs built it .
I'm assuming from the above suggestions it would be best to wait until after hatching before attempting to move them. Guess I will see what I can come up with in the next 2 weeks to keep momma and chicks safe and warm. I do have a large dog kennel that maybe i could cover and place in the run for them, or just use chicken wire to separate and cover them a corner in the run...?

 

[NatJ]

Oh, I didn't realize you had other bantams that did use that coop

Yes, dog kennel can be a good choice, or corner of the run.
Predator-proof is the most important thing, and a bit sheltered from rain and direct sun. The hen's feathers will keep her chicks warm too, so it's much easier than making a place to brood chicks without a mother!