Broody BO abandoning the eggs?

[robomb]

Thelma has been broody since 4/8, sitting on all the hens eggs. I got 11 fertilized eggs and set them under her on 4/11 (no roo here). This is her first time going broody - she's 10 months old. We had to pull a couple eggs, because they were off to the side of her for a while and got cold. This happened 3 days in a row. We're down to 4 eggs now, and for the last 2 days Thelma has been looking non-broody and off the eggs a bit. She's in a large dog kennel separated from the other hens with her own nipple feeder and waterer. Does this mean she's given up on them? It has been 14 days since she started going broody. What do I do, if anything?

 

[teach1rusl]

There's nothing you can do really, unless you have another broody or an incubator.
Is she only getting off for 30 minutes at a time or so (which many do), or is she staying off for hours (which isn't a good sign)? It does happen (giving up on being broody), but I'm not sure why. Maybe something with the hormones? Maybe a change that disturbed her?

 

[robomb]

It's official - she's done. Off the eggs all morning. I candled the 4 eggs, and only one had movement inside. I put it in their regular nest box when I put Thelma back in with the others, *hoping* that someone would hop on it and finish the job. It looks like Martinique is in the box, sitting, but who knows - maybe she's just laying. She's a PBR. So sad - I can't imagine that egg #11 is going to make it because none of the girls are acting broody, and I'm sure it hasn't been consistently warm.

 

[teach1rusl]

Well that bites! Sorry...