[suziequeue]

I wonder if any of you can advise me what to do.

One of our hens has gone broody and we would like to put some fertilised eggs under her to hatch (we don't have a cockerel). The problem is - that she has gone broody in one of the nest boxes in the main coop which is about 18 inches above the ground. Great for sitting in but the chicks will have to parachute themselves to the ground once they are hatched in order to get water and feed and the they won't be able to get back to their Mum (who - presumably - will still be sitting on the last of the eggs as I don't expect they will all hatch at the same time). There really isn't room to put water and chick crumb in the nest box :-(

We have tried moving her at night to the broody coop but she doesn't really sit tight once she's there. I don't want to stress her by segregating her if she doesn't want to be on her own. The broody coop has its own run. Yesterday she was sitting in the sun. I am thinking I should just keep her in the broody coop to accumulate a clutch of eggs and then swap them at night for some fertile ones

I don't want to get eggs for her unless she is going to sit tight on them.

Any suggestions?

[Sylvia]

Wait 'til dusk, put the eggs she is sitting on in the broody coop and put her in with them. If she's still sitting tight in a few days' time carefully take out the old eggs and replace with the fertile ones

[in the hills]

some broodies sit tighter than others. We have had Friesian Fowl go missing and when we have found them they have been sitting in unsuitable places. When we have moved them and their eggs at night they have gone mad and would no way continue to sit. Others like pekins are easier to move. Let her sit undisturbed where she is for a good few days. This will tell you whether or not she is serious. My good broodies hardly leave their chosen spot and have to be evicted once a day in order to empty themselves and feed. Even then they kick up a fuss and flop on the ground like feather dusters not wanting to stand. If she is like this then attempt to move her at night with the eggs she is already on. Mine sometimes didnt stay on the eggs initally but snuggled down in the opposite corner. Just pop the eggs back under. Make sure the area you provide is dark .... this will help her to settle. If she stays sitting then at night swap her eggs for your chosen fertile ones.
Hope this helps.

[suziequeue]

Thanks. This is very reassuring and we are broadly moving in the right direction wtih her.

I felt I was the only one trying to move a broody hen and thought I may be lacking some important piece of wisdom..... but clearly I am in the same boat as many others which is very reassuring.

I think she is the leader of the flock (we have just five laying hens). The others now sit around the outside of the run and yesterday afternoon there were clearly some pecking order squabbles amongst the other four going on. And when I think of the GRIEF that the two RIRs gave the speckldeys when they first moved in........

Chicken social dynamics 

We have kept her in the broody coop and DH says that today she seems snuggled down so..... fingers crossed.

[thestephens]

following your posts closely!! after getting some fertilised eggs we have put them under our broody but again she is still in the main coop so when she does venture out she sometimes goes back to the wrong nesting box so i have kept moving the eggs under her (she is only going outside once a day that i can see).

[chrismahon]

Ours was broody in the main coop and kept going back to the wrong eggs in the wrong nestbox. We moved her complete with hay bedding and eggs at night into a broody coop.

[suziequeue]

Ours now seems to be sitting tight in the broody coop...... Just!!

Have found BRILLIANT stuff on the Dark Brown Eggs website here:

http://www.darkbrowneggs.info/hatching-with-a-broody/4542303150

[suziequeue]

Well she seemed to sit tight so we went to get some eggs today (thanks Rosie Posie) and DH put them under her this evening once everyone had gone to bed. She was sitting forward with her wings sort of - out - like she had her hands on her hips - and DH says that when he put the eggs under her she shuffled them about a bit and then settled.

Now it's no peeping until tomorrow evening.

I'm SO excited!!!

[suziequeue]

Well - we kept her in the dark up until now and then DH went to check.

She's still on the eggs and looking very stern.

There are bits of downy feathers around so I am presuming she has pulled these off her chest to make the nest warmer.

I am so relieved that finally we seem to be on the right path..... and hugely satisfied that we have enabled her to fulfill her natural instinct.

[deepinthewoods]

lovely, now its countdown time!

[fifixx]

i came on tonight to post almost the same question! 

Going to try all this tomorrow night with my Buff Orpington who is now broody, fingers crossed....

[suziequeue]

Any news fifixx?

Our girl is sitting tight. DH has just turfed her off for a bit of a peck and scratch in the run. All the other girls have gathered round for an audience.

We are on pooh-watch now....... Any extra poohs in the run means she has got off the nest and had a leg stretch :-)

[fifixx]

doing the move this evening when it's dusk...will report back!

[suziequeue]

We found it easier to just pick her up - hay and all - from the nesting box and transfer her en masse. That way her legs were already tucked under her. A previous attempt had resulted in her trying to "hang on" with a claw resulting in a rather ungainly exit!

[thestephens]

we too have moved our broody to a coop of her own and she seems happy, its very exciting, hope we have success for my daughters sake!