what to do when my hens are laying eggs in with my hen that is sitting??

[chickenhirsch]

I have a few hens in one pen. They are normally friendly to each other unless we add a newbie to the house. My question is How do i get my other hens from laying eggs in the same nest my sitting hen is in? Right now I have the original eggs marked with an X and move my broody to check for new eggs. There has to be a solution to getting my hens who are still laying to stop laying their eggs in the nest with my hen who is sitting. Any advice?? I have tried everything to get them to go to other nests.

 

[mmmeyer]

I've had the same problem and I've marked the eggs as you have done. You can also try to move your nesting hen. But theres a chance she will leave the nest. (might try it at nite) Or I've also (do to my coop design) separate her from the others. she has her own water and food. And about one by three walking space. The chicks hatched out and when that was done I moved them all of them to my small coop till their big enough to join the flock.

good luck

 

[azygous]

There really is no good way to have a sitting broody in with the other layers. Simply thinking by marking the broody's eggs will solve the problem is naive and dangerous.

Last year I tried that, but other hens cannot resist the allure of an occupied nest. It's always the one they all want to lay in. The problem was that the broody's eggs were being tossed out and replaced with theirs. Several of the broody's eggs, well along in gestation, were broken. Finally we were down to just two eggs left under the broody. I decided it was time to shut all the others out if I wanted any embryos to survive. They had another coop they could lay in.

If seeing these eggs hatch is important to you, and if you care for the safety of the hatching chicks, you need to figure out a way to segregate your broody.

 

[pcosmom]

I moved my broody today because of this.. Poor girl was trying to cover 36 eggs
I put those 36 in the bator and put my guinea eggs under her.. She is now in a milk crate inside my over side brooding pen which is inside the chicken house

 

[macsmommy]

Have you tried placing golf balls in the other laying boxes? This worked for me. Also, gently lift the naughty layer and pop her into another laying box. You may have to repeatedly do this for the girls, but EVENTUALLY they will comply.