Small Coop Broody Hen Hatching

[sadie748]

Greetings! I am going to let one of my hens try to hatch a few fertilized eggs as I feel it would be the best way to help her break her broodiness and perhaps grow our flock. I have a fairly small coop (4x6) and she is currently sitting on the eggs in one of two nesting boxes I have off the coop. Should I make a small area for her outside the nesting box but blocked from the other two hens and try to move her there so she will have a place to safely hatch her chicks while still staying within the coop (with access to plenty of food and water? We're in Nebraska and temps are supposed to get very cold this week (single digits) so I am also considering building her a brooder area in my garage/basement but I worry about re-integration into the flock and also worry that if I move her she will reject the eggs. Thoughts? Thanks!

 

[CluckerFamily]

I normally very carefully move the nest to a dog crate and the dog crate is in the coop.
I leave the door open so that momma can come and go to eat, drink and poop. When it gets closer to the hatch day, I will put food and water in the crate and shut the door so that mom and babies aren’t disturbed. When all is hatched or momma walks away, they move into a sectioned off area in the coop.
If you move the nest, be very careful and where you move them to should be close by for instance, if you move them to a crate, have the crate right there. Some people move everything at once and lose eggs or they accidentally crack the eggs.

 

[sadie748]

Thank you for the reply. Would a small covered dog crate work? And by covered I mean those plastic ones. We're getting close to hatch day (should be this week!) and she's only been sitting on them for a day (failed to break her but tried!). We're trying it but we only have a few days here to figure this out. Once the babies arrive I can section off an area in the coop that has food/water for the chicks but do I keep the dog crate there or remove it and build a little open nest?

 

[CluckerFamily]

That crate will work. Leaving it is up to you.

What do you mean that she has only been sitting on then for one day? She should be sitting on them for 21 days. And leaving to eat, drink and poop for the eggs to hatch.

 

[sadie748]

The fertilized eggs are from a friend who has been incubating the eggs for weeks.

If temps get bad would you bring the whole crew in? Is it more difficult to reintegrate then?

 

[CluckerFamily]

The fertilized eggs are from a friend who has been incubating the eggs for weeks.

If temps get bad would you bring the whole crew in? Is it more difficult to reintegrate then?

Reintegrating then can be done but it is easier to keep them in the coop.
How cold is it in the coop? Momma feathers will do a great job and keeping the chicks warm.

 

[sadie748]

Our coop is pretty well insulated; I don't have a temperature gauge in there yet. Single digit temps coming this weekend -- that's what I'm worried about. I am going to try to keep them in the coop and if I have to add extra insulation I will do it. Thanks so much for all of your help!