2 broodys sitting on fertile eggs not eating much?

[Pheobe_nz]

Hey all
Im new to chickens
And have recently purchased 2 broody bantams and 8 fertile Aracuana eggs
They absoutly love there eggs and hardly leaving the nest
I know its normal for them to not eat much but Im just being a concerned mum
I have pellets for them and wheat
What else should I offer?
Having been feeding silverbeet and cabbage leaves they have grass to eat but havent touched it
They also have the oystergrit

Just thought I would see if anything special to feed?
Thanks

 

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome to the forum. Glad to have you here.

Sounds like typical broody behavior. As long as they are leaving the nest at least once a day to eat, drink, and poop, they should be doing fine. On a rare occasion, a broody will not leave the nest often enough and can injure or even kill herself. If she is not pooping in the nest, she should be leaving often enough.

I'm not sure what you mean by oystergrit. Maybe a New Zealand term? If it is crushed oyster shell, that is fed to laying hens to provide the calcium they need for hard egg shells. If they are broody and not laying, they do not need extra calcium. If you are feeding layer pellets, that should contain plenty of calcium for them to lay anyway without the extra oyster shell. If it is small pebbles and sand, usually granite, that is used to gring up their food in their gizzards. They do need that, but if they have access to the outside and you live in an area that has rocky or sandy soil, you probably do not need to provide that. The oyster shell is not hard enough to be used to grind food unless they eat so much of it that it would be unhealthy.

One thing I consider important for a broody is to check for mites and lice, especially roost mites. You have to check at night since roost mites usually hide during the day and feed at night. They can be dangerous to a broody in her weakened condition. Since it sounds like you just got them and did not previously have chickens, it is probably not a high risk for you, but I'd still consider checking.

Good luck!