My Exhausted Broody Hen

[RitzHomestead]

So this is the first time that I have dealt with this, I have a hen that is broody and sitting on 7 eggs. I have marked the eggs so they are the same 7 that she has sat on for about 7 days now. Well I am not sure how much she has gotten up to eat and drink. I know they only do it for a short amount of time every day, but I am worried that she is not getting up at all. When I went to check on her today, I could tell that she was "out of it" looked weak. I ended up hand feeding her which she ate until she was full, but I could not get her to drink any water.

So I guess my question is: Is this normal? Any suggestions on what I can do to get her to drink, I don't mind hand feeding her until she has hatched this batch.

 

[Pork Pie]

Is this her first time sitting? Personally i leave my broody to do her thing, but i understand your concerns about increasing (apparent) weakness and loss of condition. Some people do remove the hen from the eggs and if you really feel you must, I'd suggest doing it just after the warmest part of the day. As she has eaten, she is likely to feel the need to poo, so she should get off the nest, even if its only for 5 minutes.

All the best
CT