We found one of our chickens sitting on a hidden nest! If we touch her eggs, will she abandon them?

Question

We think she has been sitting on this nest for about 2 weeks so if they're going to hatch it's going to be soon. We would like to move our hen and the eggs into a safer place then where she is now, but we're worried she will abandon the eggs. Is there anything we can do?

Answer 1

Are you sure their fertile eggs? Do you have a rooster? If they are fertile, you can move them carefully. If you don't have a rooster, I'm afraid you just hve rotten eggs. Some hens are what they call broody and like to set on eggs. If she's like tht and you don't have a rooster you can always get one.

Answer 2

We had the same problem. Keep it there but put a rabbit cage over it :] That way they are still safe! Goodluck!! :D

Answer 3

No, that's just an old wives tale.  Totally not true...

Answer 4

If you move her eggs she may or may not keep setting. Would it be possible to make a temporary cage or something around her to keep her safe? The eggs will probably hatch in about a week. At that point you can move the hen and chicks into a pen. It's best to keep the chicks separate from the other chickens until they are full grown.

Answer 5

Well, it depends on when and where you move her. I would personally wait until the chicks hatch and THEN move her. It's not because she can "sense" that they've been touched or anything, it's that she's in a new environment and is uncomfortable with where she's been moved to.

HOWEVER. If you can put a laundry-basket over her to help protect her, I doubt she'd care.

If you move her now, she probably will abandon the eggs, but if you place the eggs back to where she is nesting, she'll go right back to them. She's chosen that place for a reason, even if we can't see why.

What breed is she? Is she "puffed" up and acting broody? How many eggs is she sitting on?

Once the chicks hatch, feel free to move her AND the remaining eggs into the new area. I would make it a small area so that she doesn't leave her brood behind because of the new housing arrangement.

Good luck and feel free to message me or email me for more answers if you need them.

You do have a rooster that has fertilized the eggs right?