Broody hen won't come off nest!

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gustishmaggi

gustishmaggi

In the Brooder
11 Years
Jul 17, 2008
23
0
22
Norfolk, UK
New to chicken keeping we have our first broody she is a silver laced wyandotte. She is currently sitting on 9 eggs. I have read up lots on internet about what we should be doing and have her seperated in a large wire cage and have made her a nest box. She appears happy, however it is a struggle to get her to eat anything and I'm not sure she is drinking either. I don't think she even gets off to poop, however she is becoming a little smelly now and I don't know what I should be doing.
Can anyone offer advice please.
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Just leave the food and water where she can get to it. Broodies are pretty quick. They jump off the nest, eat, drink, poop (a ginormous nasty poop) and hop back on the nest. She might only do it once a day. During the last few days, she might not get up at all. Don't worry. She knows what she is doing. God designed and programmed her for this.
 
If she's pooping in the nest, you do need to try to get her to get out once a day. Maybe leave the door to the crate open for a few days. You'll have to check under her for new eggs from other hens if you do. (Be sure to mark all of her eggs, so you know which they are) but she may be more likely to get off the nest once a day. If not, you can take her off once a day.

I have had an occasional hen they didn't get the idea of a daily break, but after I'd taken them off the nest a couple days in a row, they started doing it on their own.
 
Thanks all for advice.

Haven't seen any enormous poops in the surrounding area so will try to get her off the nest tomorrow evening and see if she is doing it in there as the smell is hideous!!
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I hope the smell isnt from a bad egg. Lift her of carefully checking for eggs under her wings and check. I used to do this and my broody hen just pecked me and got back on. I worried about her getting out to feed and drink etc but she was fine. One day just before the eggs pipped she eat some food from my hand.
 
If she has been pooping in the nest, you'll need to clean the nest, the eggs, and clean off the hen's underside. Just take her off the nest, stick her outside with food and water, and do what you need to do. The eggs will be fine for awhile without mom. Put them where she can't reach them until they're clean, and back in the clean nest. She'll climb back in and settle down on them.
 
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She will know when to get off the nest and when to get back on. Ive had hens off the eggs for half a day and they all hatched. I even had a hen leave her nest for almost 2 day before I noticed it, I put the eggs under another hen and they ALL hatched. Some hens will sit on the nest for 2 or 3 days before getting up. Good luck...............
 
Thanks everyone.

I will take her off the nest later today and see what I find. After cleaning it and possibly her up I'll put her back and hope for the best. I'll keep you posted.
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Quote:
Our hen Alice went broody over 5 weeks ago, her first set of eggs were duds and some lovely family here donated 4 new eggs she's been on a week today. During the 3rd week it got very hot here so I rigged up this lovely hardware cloth screen window for her. Every day we give her a view of the back 40 and check her food and water. She's happy as a clam in there... She gets up and heads downstairs for a few minutes, does what she needs to and then pops back upstairs... Sure we worry about her, but that is Human Nature. As the poster I quoted said: God designed and programmed her for this...

Here's my two ladies: my wife and Alice talking about men... LOL

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