Broody- where to let her sleep?

[Icemaiden]

I've finally managed to borrow a large wire dog crate in which to shut my broody Light Sussex. As someone who mainly keeps ex-batts, I've not had this issue before.

I've put a feeder & drinker in the crate & have shaded it from the sun. I let her out with the others to scratch around the garden earlier, but wasn't sure about leaving her in the crate for the night in full view of the foxes.

The run has resisted foxes for the last 5 years, but that's with the girls sleeping out of sight at night. Should I be leaving her in the dog crate all the time except when out in the garden, or am I right to let her sleep in the coop & then turf her out of the nestbox again in the morning?

Advice welcome please! I never had this problem when I had a utility Light Sussex from Chalkhill Poultry!

 

[hip chick]

Ive found recently that putting a bag of ice in the nestbox under the bedding, and allowing her to sit on it to cool off was enough to stop the brood straight away, so you dont have to seperate them. May be worth trying

 

[Marigold]

Whatever you do, don’t let her snuggle down in a nestbox overnight. I would block off the boxes with big flower pots, go down after dark to see if she’s roosting on a perch, and if she’s on the floor in the bedding, lift her up to perch.
Or move the dog crate to a safe area, garage maybe, or shed, as being separated from the others will make her a bit anxious and this will help her to decide now is not the best time for maternity!



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