Where to let a broody hen sit on eggs

AmandaBraddick

Chirping
Jun 20, 2020
24
22
59
I have a broody silkie who wants to lay on her eggs in a nesting box which is approx 1ft off the coop floor. I have tried to relocate her on the floor but she isn't interested. She has decided on the nesting box and that's that. I've never hatched using a broody before. When the chicks hatch do they stay really close to mum until they all hatch or will they potentially wander off and fall out of the nesting box? I was thinking that i could potentially move mum and chicks into a box on the floor of the coop once they have hatched but is this practical / too risky an idea?
 
Can you figure out a way to block off the box? Especially during the hatch. Chicks will jump out on occasion, and the hen will not retrieve them. Also if you have other hens they will add eggs to the nest. You do not want that, so mark your set eggs and remove extras daily.

I let my bantams hatch in the nest boxes all the time, than I move them to the floor in a wire pen after all have hatched, or the day after hatching starts. I use a wire grate to block mine in the boxes and I let them out once a day. The wire grate keeps vigorous chicks from leaping out.
 
Can you figure out a way to block off the box? Especially during the hatch. Chicks will jump out on occasion, and the hen will not retrieve them. Also if you have other hens they will add eggs to the nest. You do not want that, so mark your set eggs and remove extras daily.

I let my bantams hatch in the nest boxes all the time, than I move them to the floor in a wire pen after all have hatched, or the day after hatching starts. I use a wire grate to block mine in the boxes and I let them out once a day. The wire grate keeps vigorous chicks from leaping out.
Would a piece of wood 6 inches across the front of the nesting box work? I'm thinking that would stop the chicks falling out and my from my experience it takes 3 days or so for them to actually jump on my brooder plate by then i can move them safely to the floor. Can the box on the floor be open or will the other hens hurt the chicks?
 
6 inches should be enough, but I can't guarantee it.

I would figure out a way to keep them separately. Other hens will sometimes kill chicks, but it depends on your flock and set up. I'm always over cautious because I've seen what can sometimes happen.
 
I have a broody silkie who wants to lay on her eggs in a nesting box which is approx 1ft off the coop floor.
Mine typically hatch in nests either 2' or 4' off of the coop floor. My broody hens have never had a problem getting the chicks down when they are ready to leave the nest. The hen tells them to jump and they do, then bounce up and run over to the hen. I once saw a broody hen get her chicks down from a 10' high hay loft. She flew down and called her chicks. They jumped and ran to her. Since then I haven't worried about the nest being a little high.

I have tried to relocate her on the floor but she isn't interested.
How did you try to relocate her? What procedure did you use? If you are going to move it usually works best to have a cage big enough to have a nest, freed, and water and not much else. You need to be able to lock her in there so she can't get out and no other hen can get in. Leave her locked in there until the eggs hatch.

When the chicks hatch do they stay really close to mum until they all hatch or will they potentially wander off and fall out of the nesting box?
The only time I had a problem with a chick falling out of a nest box was when I used a cat litter bucket as a nest. The top was only 7-1/2" x 11-1/2" so the hen was sitting too close to the side of the nest. Sometimes baby chicks climb on top of Mama while they wait for the later chicks to hatch. In that nest, when they fell off of Mama's back they missed the nest and fell 4' to the coop floor. Four different times I had to put a chick back in with Mama, probably the same chick most of the time. Is it possible for a chick to wander off and fall out? You are dealing with living animals so anything is possible but other than that one time it has never been a problem.

I was thinking that i could potentially move mum and chicks into a box on the floor of the coop once they have hatched but is this practical / too risky an idea?
I don't do that but you certainly can. Not sure what you envision that box to look like but many people lock the hen and chicks up. I let my hens raise the chicks with the flock and have never had a problem with another hen that the broody hen could not handle except for something I'll mention later. Some people say they have had problems. Since anything can happen with living animals I believe them. I think it helps that I have a large coop, over 3,000 square feet outside, and the weather that mine stay outside practically all day every day. What your coop and run looks like and how you manage your chickens can make a difference. My broody hens take the chicks to bed at night on the coop floor.

One time I had a broody hen kill two of her 8 chicks as they hatched but she raised the other six fine. This had nothing to do with the other hens. Another time I had two broody hens fight over the eggs when they began to hatch, they both wanted to hatch and those chicks. They destroyed half the eggs. Things can happen no matter what you do but with mine the vast majority of the time things go great.
 
Thank you so much for your help and wise info. I've decided to try what i feel is the most natural way of giving my hen some eggs in her chosen nesting box and letting her do the rest staying in the flock. Thanks again, much appreciated.
 

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