I have a hen that has been brooding inside the coop, and her eggs have started to hatch today.
I had tried to move her to a separate confined area with her eggs last week (and also previous to that), but she absolutely refused to sit on the eggs and struggled so much that she got out of the confined area and back to the empty nest where she started. I tried 3 times putting her back, and each time she refused and went back, hurting her poor comb in the process the last time, so I gave up and let her be.
My question is, now that the babies are starting to hatch, and she is in the main coop where she won't be able to show the chicks food because they won't be able to get in and out of the coop with its steep ramp etc., I'd like to move her to the other area with her babies. Is this a good idea? What else could I do? Right now I have my other hens and the roo locked out of the coop so that they won't bother her while the rest are hatching, but that will only be good for the day.
Any advice is really appreciated.
I had tried to move her to a separate confined area with her eggs last week (and also previous to that), but she absolutely refused to sit on the eggs and struggled so much that she got out of the confined area and back to the empty nest where she started. I tried 3 times putting her back, and each time she refused and went back, hurting her poor comb in the process the last time, so I gave up and let her be.
My question is, now that the babies are starting to hatch, and she is in the main coop where she won't be able to show the chicks food because they won't be able to get in and out of the coop with its steep ramp etc., I'd like to move her to the other area with her babies. Is this a good idea? What else could I do? Right now I have my other hens and the roo locked out of the coop so that they won't bother her while the rest are hatching, but that will only be good for the day.
Any advice is really appreciated.