Day 4 with my first broody/worry about her weight. How was your first?

Day 4 with my broody hen and I’m a little worry about her weight. She doesn’t leave the eggs on her own. I put food and water close to her but she doesn’t leave her basket unless I take her out. Today I put her out twice, but both times she did the same thing she is been doing for the past 4 days. First she runs to the sand box and does a “dirt bath” then she cleans her feathers and eats very little from here and there (almost like she can‘t stay still), and for the rest of the time she acts weird (loud, running back and forth, bulling other hens witch she never did before, looks confused and in a hurry and she is always looking after me like she wants me to pick her up). This is her first (and mine) broody, and she started going broody only three weeks after her first egg.
Her crop was full today because she did eat when I give her food in her basket, but only as long I was there, or I kept the grains in my hand. When I picked her up today she felt so skinny, that I could feel her chest bone and that makes me worry. This hen was a big eater and only two weeks ago she was a heavy hen. For a week before I let her go broody she stop eating properly, because she was spending most of the time on one or two eggs in the outside nest box. In the evening she would leave the eggs and go back in the coop and sometimes during the day she would abandon the egg. She was very determined to go broody, but I think she was confused about it and in the mean time she lost weight.
Tomorrow I will try to candle the eggs and see if there is anything (never done that before), and I’m hoping she will get better with the eating. fl I don’t want her to suffer. I cover her up with a spare bathroom rug because she was shaking. She seems a lot more comfortable with the cover.


Update to say: I only leave the blanket on her at night. During day she is not covered, and she is eating a little better now.

How was your first broody experience?

I feel like I’m seating on eggs as well
This is the beginning https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=453211&p=1

Foxy in her basket

My broody hen (my first one) is due to have eggs hatch on Sunday (not her eggs- they were bought by me). She will not leave her nestbox by herself.

I lift her out in the morning when I put the food out for everyone. She will then drink, eat, scratch in the dirt, preen herself, then get back on the eggs. She clucks a lot, over and over, like she is worried someone will bother her when she is eating.

She is incredibly skinny now. I really worry about her. But she doesn't have long to go!!!

I was worried with my first also, she successfully hatched 5 chicks! From what i have read she will not starve, she will get up to eat and drink when needed. You are being very kind putting food and water near her. It is quite possible that she is eating and drinking when you are not there. As for the shaking, Im hoping someone else will chime in on that, but i do wonder of leaving the blanket on her will disgourage her getting up? She may not be able to get back on her eggs/

When I first put the blanket, I was worry about the same thing, and that's why I test it first to see if she can go in and out. I tuck the blanket on the sides of the basket so she can go in and out without moving the blanket. It's more like a half lid. The hen went in the basket without any problems. She went head first under the blanket and then turn around and put her head out. I got the idea for the blanket after I noticed my OE Mille Fleur hen hiding her eggs under a jacket I left on a chair in the run. I figure if that hen can go in and out from underneath my jacket (she did that twice, I almost sat on her egg today, but luckily I check it first), then I can make something similar for Foxy.
I also have a camera in the coop and I can say that Foxy did not even try to get out of the basket during the day (and she can do that very easy)