[Frieslandfilly]

Hi, I have a hen who has gone broody. She lives with 8 other hens and a cockerel, in a large chicken house with feeder shleve on one side and laying rack on the other,she has gone broody and has 7 marked eggs under her (cos the others kept laying in the same place). She is now sitting tight (7days) and no longer letting them lay there. We tried to move her and her clutch twice to a broody coop but both times she has not sat all night and gone straight back to the hen house and this morning even sat back on an empty nest! (She is approx 1 year)

We moved her at night in the hope that she would stay but no way!

Question 1. Will the eggs that were cold this morning still be viable considering she has sat for the last week on them or do I need to put a new clutch in?

Question 2. Will the other hens & cockerel kill her chicks when they are born, if she stays where she is?

Question 3. If the answer to the last question is yes, does anyone have any ideas on how to move her and get her to stay!

[doganjo]

I only once tried to move a hen and that was during the day - she went straight back to the empty nest like yours.  I gave up and left her then when the chicks were born put her in a dog cage within the area so they could all see each other, covered the cage at night for protection.  Then gradually let her out for short periods with the chicks - the others didn't bother them, and in fact protected them from my nosey ducks,.

[dixie]

I wait til they are sat tight for a few days, then move at night with a fresh batch of eggs and shut her in, for the next day too if necessary, if she wont sit then give up, but usually they do! I then keep them separate until big enough to hold their own with the others, mum usually goes back after a couple of weeks or when warm enough not to need her!