[Sudanpan]

This is a new state of affairs for us 


One of our copper/black marans, probably about 24 weeks old, has turned broody. We only have 5 chickens in total, 1 pair cream-crested legbars and then 3 femail copper/balck marans. Up to now they have all lived in one chicken coop in a run that gets opened up during the day.
Copper (the broody) is sitting tight in the coop while the others are out and about during the day. I understand it would be a good idea to separate her from the other birds so she doesn't get disturbed and then when/if the chicks hatch then the chicks won't get hassled/injured. So - how to do this?
We have another chicken coop that we have manoeuvred into the main chicken run and I was thinking about partitioning it off and then putting Copper into this coop. We've made up a nesting box on the floor of the new coop so that if it comes to it the chicks don't get into trouble, and I can put food and water into the coop for Copper as well. It is likely to be a bit of a 'battle' getting hold of her (all the the chickens regard me as the devil incarnate unfortunately) and I was going to transfer her into the new coop and leave her shut in for 24 hours to settle her.
Any advice gratefully received   


Tish

[suziequeue]

Don a pair of hedgelaying gauntlets or similar.


Wait until dark.


Go in confidently. Don't falter. Pick her up round her body/chest making sure you have her wings well tucked in.


Carry her firmly under your arm to the new spot.


Probably best to leave food and water a little way away from her so that she will be encouraged to get up every so often for a leg stretch, refreshments and a poo.


I would leave her and see if she is still sitting tight after the move before putting eggs under her.

[Bionic]

I had this last year. Don't know if I did the right thing but I just let her sit where she was. When they hatched I moved mum and chicks all together into their own home (a converted rabbit hutch).


It worked well for me

[Marches Farmer]

Quite unusual for a hen this young to go broody.  Does she try to peck you or raise her hackles if you disturb her?  If not I'd look for another explanation - bullying/injury/illness?  If I have a hen that might have gone broody I leave her for three days to see if she sticks with it then put fertile eggs in a secure broody coop and transfer her over very gently just before dark.  By morning she's generally settled down and will stick with it.  Some folks lift the hens off every day but I don't - I think the hen is programmed to survive and raise her chicks and to disturb her risks her stopping being broody.  Similarly I don't move a newly hatched group of chicks and hen because hens that are stressed sometimes turn on their chicks.

[Sudanpan]

She regards me with a very beady eye if I open up the coop (which I do to collect the the other eggs) She is sitting very low and spread out, she has at least 2 eggs under her.  She hasn't been leaving the coop for the last 4/5 days now. As far as I can tell there is no bullying issue (she is actually high up the pecking order), and she certainly doesn't seem to be injured. When I touched her on Thurs she shot out of the coop (that's when I saw the 2 eggs and thery were very warm) - she then went straight to the feeder and had a good nosh - a bit later she had returned to her sitting job in the coop.
I have no idea if the eggs she is on are fertile - Mr Legbar is very enthusiastic in that department though!
I think I will try and move her when it is a bit drier (peeing down here all day today)

[suziequeue]

Certainly when ours are broody they go very flat and wide and when approached they make a sort of cooing/purring noise and - yes - the beady eye........

[Possum]

It certainly sounds like she is broody. I find the best way to pick up a broody hen is to approach from behind!


Gently slide your hand under her tail and forward to her breast. It is difficult for her to peck you from this angle and you should be able to lift her off the eggs without any damage.

[Sudanpan]

Well it looks like the other hens have decided the new coop is far nicer so they have moved in there and left Copper sitting on her eggs in the old one! I will therefore leave as is and then maybe put up a separating fence if any chicks appear.
And yes she tried to peck me this morning!

[Sudanpan]

So, we left Copper to it and I calculated that yesterday might be D-Day.


I've been away a few days and decided that I should freshen up the coop as OH will feed and water when I'm not here but not muck out. Mindful that Copper needed to be as undisturbed as possible I gently got rid of soiled bedding from under the perches and put new fresh bedding in place. Copper was just watching me, but was also making quite a few chuckle noises - which is not normal for her, previously she had just fixed me with her beady eye.


Anyhoo I then heard cheeping    and was rewarded with the sight of a light coloured chick milling around by Mum's chest    I withdrew and called to OH and he came up from the barn to have a look 


Then Copper started making more determined noises and another chick - very newly hatched I think - appeared as well 


I left them in peace for a few hours then returned for a few piccies


Ridiculously proud    First born livestock on our smallholding (not counting the bees!)

[Mammyshaz]

  so cute. Well done Copper, and congratulations Sudanpan