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Broody Hens in the Coop

A Solution… For When the Broodies Take Over the Nests

Sometimes broody hens can take over the nest area and not let any other members of the flock enter the hen house or their nests. That means the other hen’s routine is upset and this can interrupt or even stop egg production.
It’s better to move the broodies to a confined area. But if you don’t have a separate area suitable for them, sometimes it’s just better to go with the flow and put extra nest boxes in the coop for the others. This is a much better idea than letting them find a place on their own because what you’ll be doing, in that case, is going on an everyday egg hunt.

Nest Box

As you can see, members of the existing flock will rather quickly claim the new extra nest boxes and egg production will eventually resume. One way or the other, problem solved! To help them along, a ceramic egg or golf ball in the box often helps lure them in.
Simple? Probably not, it’s almost inevitable that two hens will claim the same box!  So put out a few!

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Chicken Embryo Development

Watch this amazing video of the development of a chicken embryo.

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Chicken Coop Shed

Chicken Coop Shed Conversion

There are a million ideas for chicken coops, but I like to think out of the box and be creative. Not a fan of store-bought chicken coops, they are often cheaply made and almost always too small. I like roomy coops, definitely not something I have to crawl around on my knees to clean! It’s also nice to not worry about the chickens when it’s pouring rain or during inclement weather, so here’s a great solution.

shed-chicken-coop-2

Just a suggestion, I would use hardware cloth instead of chicken wire. Sparrows can fit through chicken wire, and there’s no good reason to feed expensive chicken feed to wild birds. Chicken wire is also not suitable for predator-proofing.
A hole could easily be cut on the side to install a door that could access a run. Sheds can be insulated, are draft-free, and windows are an option too. Overall, sheds can make a great coop if you’re willing to put in a little effort.

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