Putting eggs under a broody

[tlck9]

Hi All

Been away for a while, however i;ve got a broody, so I popped some eggs under her but my friend tells me I need to move her

I tried this morning to a coop outside of the main run, but she wasnt having anything. I tried again tonight by moving her to the new coop along with her eggs but she wont sit on them - put them back and she pops on them straight away!

Can I leave her as she is obviously more happy in the main coop - but what happens closer to the 21 days (is that normally how long it takes) the other chucks I have 11, may pick on them - is that the time to move them?

[Mikey]

How old is your broody, keep an eye on her, in their first year they have a habit of abandoning the brood before time. I wouldn't bother trying to move her she'll fight off any other chooks that want to get anywhere near her nest!! Prepare a space for when they hatch and move them then.

[elizajay]

I had the same problem with a hen who laid eggs in the garden and always abandoned them when I moved her and the eggs to safety. Eventually I put a cat crate in the place where she was sitting on her eggs and replaced her infertile eggs with fertile ones. When they hatched I moved her and the chicks and she was fine.

[tlck9]

Hi Mikey, she is about 3 years old, never been a broody before - she's certainly frightening off the others as they arent going in to lay, so i was thinking of putting s box in the run somewhere so they could lay there?

[Mikey]

Do you have space alongside the nest to put another box, one of mine goes broody quite often and the others lay on the floor next to her.

[tlck9]

There's 3 nest boxes but they want to lay in the one she's in! typical - hubby said they had laid in the furthest today, but they have to go past her in order to get to the pther, the noice she makes...

out of interest I have to pick her up and out to let her have food.drink is this okay to do?

[scorpius]

You will need to move her as the others may well kill the chicks (Ive had this happen for the 1st time ever this year). Dont forget to mark the eggs ahes sat on so you can take away any the others lay

And most important - make sure you give her & the nesting area a really good dusting with something to prevent RED MITE, this weather is perfect for them, I found some the other day

[Gadget]

I didn't move mine, she sat on them in the main hen house and we moved once they pipped

[petal]

you may end up having to do that or she will abandon the eggs, infuriatingly silly they are, you try to do whats best and isolate them away from other hens and what do they do? let eggs go cold and insist on going back to the original nest box.....

[jessmorris]

I have had broodies in the main nest box and it is better to move them as they are a nuisance to other hens, attract red mite and the other hens could kill the chicks. I move mine at night, into a guinea pig cage, with all her eggs. Keep the cage dark, even after dayrise, for a few days and I think she should settle. You may want to try her with infertile eggs though before risking fertile ones. The broody will then sink into a kind of torpor (you may have to get her up to feed and drink herself) and sit nicely. They do get attached to certain places though. I have a bantam at the moment who is rooted to the coop floor like a limpet. daft thing.

[elizajay]

I have a daft Brahma broody on a perch!!

[jessmorris]

Crikey!!!!!