The Broody Box Build!

Alright guys and gals, so today was "project day" on the farm. Why buy when you can build, am I right?

What everyone else calls D.I.Y. projects, I call good money management.

Today's project was a broody box for my hens. Lately, we have been having an abundance of broody hens. Because of this, we needed to have a better set-up to deal with them. We had been making do, but they just keep going broody! Great for replacement hens, not so good for the lack of eggs and stress. Unfortunately, once one chicken goes broody, it seems they all do! Sadly, I digress.

So... the broody box! Or the nursery if you want to call it that.

This is a sectioned off coop and small lot, specifically for one hen and her chicks. Ideally, the hen will go in there with her eggs as soon as she gets broody, then they will hatch and she and her brood will be protected from the outside world. I hardly get this to happen. Usually, they go in once the chicks hatch.

So the coop need to be about the size of a nesting box with a small lot attached. All fully enclosed. They can be as fancy as you want. For ours, we are using leftover wood from various projects.

Dimensions are 2' high, the box is 2'x2'x2', the total area is 2'x2'x6'.

This may not seem like much, but keep in mind, the hen will be on the nest 98% of the time. Also, chicks have a tendency to wander and get into trouble, so you want to keep them close to mom.

Access door to the lot. Makes it easier to put food and water in it.

Please ignore the blanket. When we put Oliver (the current broody hen) inside, it is best to make it as dark as possible to make her comfortable and so then she will be more willing to accept the eggs.