Day 18 too late to move broody hen to food/water?

Sabrina24

In the Brooder
Mar 27, 2015
65
1
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Our BA is on day 18 on 5 eggs. The first few days we saw her get up and move around and it was at the same time so I have tried to get out at that time most days but I haven't seen her move since day 5 or so. A few times I think I saw a broody poop on the poop board but it has been several days since I have seen anything like it. Her comb is really pale, too. I have tried putting snacks in with her and I think she ate them a couple days ago, but yesterday when I checked an hour later she didn't eat the blackberries I gave her. The water and food are right outside her box, I even tried holding the water up to her yesterday and she completely ignored it. I thought I read day 18 is lock down so they won't get up after that. But if she hasn't moved in days is she going to be ok? Is it too late to pick her off the nest for a few minutes? I'm usually one to let nature takes it's course, but she has me nervous!
 
If she were mine, I would make sure she leaves the nest to move around and perhaps defecate. In my opinion 'lockdown' is a man made thing. A brooding hen keeps moving and shifting eggs throughout the incubation.
 
Just make sure there is food and water nearby, for when she feels she needs some. As Sourland said above, encouraging her to get up and move around and relieve herself wouldn't hurt either. She still has 3 days to go pre-hatch and then a hen "lock-down" when the eggs start hatching.
 
If I have not seen my broody hens come out of their nest, I take them out of the nest so they can stretch their legs, poop and eat some feed. While they are out, I check the eggs and remove the new ones if any have been laid in their box. As for hen lockdown, I seen hens go out of their nest while eggs are hatching. The bad part of this is that if the nest is in the main coop with other hens, other hens may come in and sit in the nest to lay their egg and squash the new born chicks, I have experienced this in the past. I have found squashed chicks and eggs with the shell all crush and the chick still inside the membrane
 
Thanks guys. I will lift her off today. I went out earlier this morning and she was a little more alert, maybe partly because it was cooler or maybe because the other chickens were just getting up and around.
 
If I have not seen my broody hens come out of their nest, I take them out of the nest so they can stretch their legs, poop and eat some feed. While they are out, I check the eggs and remove the new ones if any have been laid in their box. As for hen lockdown, I seen hens go out of their nest while eggs are hatching. The bad part of this is that if the nest is in the main coop with other hens, other hens may come in and sit in the nest to lay their egg and squash the new born chicks, I have experienced this in the past. I have found squashed chicks and eggs with the shell all crush and the chick still inside the membrane
Oh sad! She is in a box on the coop floor but the other hens don't bother her anymore. The first couple days after we moved her our EE laid in her box but hasn't in about 2 weeks. I will definitely keep an eye out though.
 
I picked her up off the nest and she finally ate a couple raspberries and some feed. I tried to get her to drink, but she only took a tiny one. No pooping, but when she was out she was laying like she was still on eggs. I kept trying to get her to stand, and she did a little after a minute. As soon as I walked out of the coop she went back to the eggs. Something is better than nothing though. She hasn't pooped in the nest either so that's good. Thanks for the info!
 
If you wish to hen hatch biddies by all means somehow prevent other hens from adding eggs to the clutch of eggs that your sitting hen is sitting on.
We had the ones marked that we wanted to keep. And 1-2 times a day would pull any extras. Once we moved her out of the box it only happened twice. Thanks though.
 

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