chickengoesmeow
Songster
- Feb 5, 2021
- 36
- 122
- 106
I have a first time broody girl right now about 10 days along with 6 eggs. So far she is a very determined mother and she even clucks to her eggs, it's all very cute. Sadly, my other hens are less understanding and 5 days ago she lost an egg to another hen trying to get into her nesting box. I built a little door to the nesting box she is in so the others can't get in, but she also can't get out. I put a dish of water (changed twice daily, for 12 hours its hydro-hen 3 in 1 and for the other 12 hours its just plain water) and a little cup of food (purina flock raiser) in there for her but she barely touches it. When I change her water, she has maybe drinken a teaspoon and she only eats a tiny bit of her feed, and she just picks out any treats or scratch I mix in for her. I throw her out into my garden once a day for 15 minutes to force her to dust bath and stretch her legs, and even then she doesn't eat or drink much besides the worms she digs up. Is this normal? She is a frost white legbar (white cream legbar) so she isn't a big bird to begin with. This is her first time being broody so maybe she just doesn't understand she needs to eat?