Broody help

My sweet silkie hen went broody and has been sitting on 3 of her own eggs for 5 days. I suspected that she might not be getting off the nest but I didn't know for sure. Nothing could have prepared me for what I came home to today. I peaked in her nesting box to see how she was and that's when I noticed an unpleasent smell. She had left a broody turd bigger than her own eggs in the box. Fortunately it wasn't on the eggs so I pulled her out to remove it, that's when I saw the second turd stuck to her fluffy bum. I took her to my shower to clean her up and that's when it happened. she released a stream of black diareaha unlike anything I've ever seen before. And the smell, oh sweet lord, the smell. I can't even begin to describe how awful it was. My nose is still burning from it. My shower may never recover. I cleaned her up and she's back with her eggs now.

So here is my question, how might I encourage her to get off the nest on her own and thereby avoid a repeat of this smelly incident? I've tried physically removing her and setting her near food and water but she just melts into a broody heap every time I set her down.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1024714/extreme-broodieness/30#post_15965588

Oh my God the smell is unbearable I know exactly how you feel mine has been like it for 3 weeks

Howdy heatherlaw

Ah the joys of the not so pleasant broody poop … yep, that stuff can make your hair curl

You will no doubt have read on numerous threads that broodys will vacate the nest at least once a day, some moreso, to have a drink, something to eat, a bit of a walk around, dust bath and deposit one large, extremely odourous broody poop etc. These breaks can be just a few minutes and sometimes 30 to 40 minutes.

You will no doubt also have read that even though you may not see your broody do this; she probably does.

However, there are exceptions to this rule and I have one!

Cilla does not leave the nest of her own accord. On her first hatch I gave her three days to move on her own and she did not .. she gets so deep into the broody zone and would sit there until she starved.

So, my trick with her from that hatch and hatches following is to move her off the nest, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. When I put her down on the ground she will sit there for a while in that broody heap you describe but after a minute or so, snaps out of her trance, has a bit of shake and gets her legs moving.

I place her away from the coop with water and food containers available between her and coop. This way, her legs get a stretch, she usually stops off for something to eat and drink on the way back and deposits that poop.

Your broodys desire to get back to her eggs should encourage her to snap out of the zone and have a wander.

Thank you Teila!
I have read that they get off on their own but I was fairly sure she wasn't. I spent the whole weekend waiting to see but she never did. After my experience this afternoon I'm certain she did not get up at all
She had gone broody once before and got off the nest on her own just fine (I ended up breaking her because the egg she was sitting on was clear). I have no idea why she refuses to get off this time but I will do as you suggest and pull her out and let her sit in a heap until she figures life out. Hopefully she will remember to eat, drink and POO before she heads back to her eggs.

Lol the joys of broodys I'm hoping mine has snapped out of it today as today is the first day she was down at bottom of coop waiting to come out without me having to remove her and she is not making that constant clucking noise fingers crossed

GGBEAR said:

Lol

the joys of broodys I'm hoping mine has snapped out of it today as today is the first day she was down

at bottom of coop waiting to come out without me having to remove her and she is not making that constant clucking noise fingers crossed

Click to expand...

I hope she has. I read your thread. That's one stubborn broody! It's as if they loose their minds when they decided to brood

Ha ha its been really annoying the other 2 hens coz she keeps nicking their eggs literally as they pop them out

Wow that's aggressive brooding
My poor rooster can't wait until Jane is done with her hatch. All the other girls are young and won't let him breed them, no matter how much he dances. He's so desperate he danced for the dog yesterday and has been strutting everywhere and whining loudly

Hi all my wombat of a black rock has finally come to her senses and decided to snap out of being broody much to my daisybells delight as they were BFF LOL all order is now restored in the coop ha ha
Many many thanks to everyone for their help especially Yorkshirecoop and chickensgalore.
Needless to say the next time I get a Broody I am going to go down chicks hatching route I'm excited I was already gonna do it in spring with my duck eggs under a broody hen but I'm gonna go for both.