This is the bottle:
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I got the bottle from a thrift store for 50 cents. I wanted one with a screw top, that loop handle and a flip top for an anti-vacuum vent. I got a pack of vertical poultry nipples from TSC, drilled a hole in the bottom of the bottle and installed the nipple. Make darn sure it isn't leaking before it is hung up. It's great to keep the brooder area clean and give a save drinking water source for the chicks that mom can use too.
How far along is she? I misread your original post and thought she was close to hatching at day 20.
I manually remove my broody first thing in the morning when I enter the pen to do chores and set her outside the coop then give her a poke to snap her out of her broody trance. She'll then run off to poop, eat, drink, dust bathe and preen for a bit before making her way back to the nest. I'll monitor her while I'm taking care of the flock to make sure she gets back to her nest okay and no one bothers the nest until she returns.
If it's a nice day, I may toss her off again in the afternoon.
I leave her put starting on day 19.
It's micromanaging for sure but at least I know she is taking proper care of herself and none of the hens are messing with her nest. She has full access to come and go from the flock without me tossing her though, and the hens and rooster can see and visit her during her incubation. That helps her maintain her flock position.
This is the day after this hens chicks hatched. That is one of the fathers with her in the maternity ward and one of the senior hens behind him. Her brood is under her.
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Can you take a pic of the underneath of your water bottle? That looks like a perfect set up for them. Mama is inside the cat house, so I’m not sure how to get her off the nest to make sure she poops. I’m pretty sure I would not be able to pull her out of there. Should I force the issue? Yesterday was the first day she didn’t get off the nest.
Do you think the mama would start panting around this time? Does mama move straw/bedding around the entire broody period, or is this just for the final days? The only other thing I worry about is if the eggs are ok... On Thursday, when she got off the nest, she was gone for about an hour and a half and it was only 75 degrees out. I had to get her back in by enticing her with scratch. She doesn’t let me pick her up, and if I do, boy does she scream! She loves treats from my hand though.
