Broody experts needed....please :)

[NYRIR]

Hi all...
I have had this BJG that has been persistently trying to lay on eggs for a couple of weeks now.She will lay on NO eggs and only leaves the nest box for short periods of time ,if at all.I tried leaving her with some eggs in the coop, but all the other hens kept insisting on laying in her nest,so she would keep switching nests!

I wasn't really worried about "breaking" her but since she has been so persistent for so long I started to worry about her health. Sooo, I have put her in a cage with 12 eggs and some food/water.She naturally seemed upset when I put her in the cage and squawked her protest for a while, ignoring the 12 lovely eggs I so nicely arranged for her

She finally settled down AFTER I put a cover over the cage and made it dark. (It was only about an hour before dark). I peeked in on her a while ago and she is sitting on the eggs.The cage is big enough for her to have a roomy nest, and a small walk to her food/water which I put on the opposite side of the cage.
My question is, since the eggs are fresh from today, will they still be ok if it takes her a couple of days to adjust?Also, should I feed her extra scratch or proteins while brooding?And, by giving her a separate cage...will she re-introduce to the flock after the length of time she will be sitting? The rest of the flock can still hear her because she is on my porch and she has been a part of that flock for 1 1/2 years.I do not want to put her in the coop in the cage since the cage is wire and I don't want the nest and her getting pooped on every night.Not to mention the crazy activity in there at times might be stressful as I have some rowdy "teens" in there too

Am I missing anything? Suggestions?
Thanks

 

[lovin my birds]

I did the exact same thing with a broody barred rock that I had. I had to put her in a cage though because I have an egg eater.

Anyway, she calmed down after a day in the cage. When her chicks hatched I put her cage back in the coop, trasfering her at night so that she didnt get spooked and go slowly so you dont josile anyone around. I would even put her and the cage back in the coop right before they start to hatch. That way the other chickens will see her and not reject her. The eggs will be okay for up to a week if she doesnt sit on them so you are good there. I would through in some extra protien so that she stays a little healthier. Brooding is always tuff on hens but the more we can help them the better. Good luck! And I will be expecting pics in 21 days of her and her cute chicks.

 

[NYRIR]

Quote:

Thanks for the help! If she does manage to hatch them I will definitely post pics! I have never let a broody do the work, I have used my bator so I am a little naive here.I am marking the calendar if she is still on them in the am.

I know how you feel about an egg eater

I have one hen that lays a weak shelled egg and they get it EVERY time

Thankfully they don't bother the others!