What to do about broody hen in cat house?

[mommahento5]

I have a broody Rosecomb Bantam (supposed to be a non-broody breed, LOL!!) that started setting on eggs in our cat house yesterday. She was trying to cover 18 eggs!! I took all but 9 away from her, but since the cat house is the "hotspot" for all my banties to lay, I am not sure what to do with her. I think I probably need to barricade her in the box. I need to prevent the others from laying more fresh eggs into her eggs she is setting, and keep the cat out! I am concerned about "locking" her in the box though. It is a decent sized cat house, probably 18x24" on the inside. I did put a dish of layer pellets mixed with scratch and one of the chick quart waters in there, but is this OK? Will she get too hot in there with not being able to get out, and what about the poo issue?

I would try to move her, but last fall when she went broody we tried to move her, and then she abandoned the nest. And with my hatching eggs in the bator looking like I am going to only get a 10/42 hatch, I would love to have some more chickies around here.

Any advice welcome! This is my first hatch artificial or otherwise, so it is pretty exciting to have both at once!

Thanks!

 

[Lollipop]

Is it possible to fence her in with enough room for her to get outside and eliminate, stretch, eat, etc? Can you move the cat house to such an area? She needs to be isolated for all the reasons you are thinking. A simple circle of welded wire or such could provide that for her. Good luck.......Pop

 

[SueNH]

If she isn't the nervous sort you could just put a pencil mark on the hatching eggs and keep collecting the new ones as they appear.

 

[mommahento5]

Quote:
I may be able to do that. We have a really large dog crate that we no longer use that I think the cat house would fit in. I may need to cover it with chicken wire, but I think it might work. Thanks for the idea!

Quote:
She is, so I am not sure that would work. Plus I don't want to have another banty lay in there and her try to cover that one, and push one of hers into the cold. I am trying not to disturb her as much as possible. I appreciate the idea though.

On a slightly different topic, do people still candle eggs even when a broody is doing the work?

 

[Dirt Road]

People candle eggs constantly. About 98% more than is useful or beneficial. You only rarely improve things for the better by any candling. Now watch for people to come out of the woodwork crowing about how many times they have saved a chick with timely candling. What you will rarely hear is how often viable eggs are lost due to the incessant tinkering. Sorry folks thats just the way I see it. I too am occasionally guilty of unnecessary and non-productive snooping.

Jim

 

[perrym1962]

I have a broody Rosecomb Bantam (supposed to be a non-broody breed, LOL!!)
What breed of bantam is it? Just curious..

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

lol poor kitty. My girls took over the rabbit hutch last month. Actually stood in line to take turns squeezing in there to lay their eggs.

 

[chicksgalore]

I actually have it the other way around--my cats have claimed the chicken coop. Last summer we had 2 litters of kittens in there and I'm afraid our expectant mom is going to be having her kittens in there any day now--I wish I could keep them out but I don't know how since we let the chickens out to free range through the day and they have to be able to get back in the coop to lay eggs...