Hi all,
I'm a first time broody hen hatcher with 18 eggs from Quail_Antwerp under my broody hen. As in the title,we have 5 more days to go before any hatch and she is a GOOD Momma! She barely takes time to eat before she's back on that nest and has since she's gone broody.
I make it a point to boot her off of the nest to go downstairs once daily while I'm cleaning the roost and make her stay down there which adds up to about a 10 minute time off the nest once daily. She comes down, eats, drinks, poops and then rushes right back up.
The problem has come today in that she's obviously getting weak and skinny. Her comb isn't the bright red it was and with the hot weather that we've gotten smacked with suddenly, I'm a little worried about my broody.
I make sure that all 3 girls have extra water in a huge lasagna dish if they need it for cooling off feet(they haven't gotten that idea yet, lol), extra drinking water in there, along with oyster shell, and the treats we bring out there several times daily. They are in layer feed 16% and have grit and dust bathing access also.
I gave the broody a treat on the nest today when I saw she was getting tired and for once, she ate it! So, now that we're onto the homestrech with the eggs, should I try to boot her off the nest more than once per day or just try to rig up something so she can have food in reach at all times? She WILL not come off that nest unless you pick her up and drag her down, she's pecking all the way, lol.
We are doing this with a chicken tractor and have a brooder ready for the fuzzy butts when they get here.
Thanks!
I'm a first time broody hen hatcher with 18 eggs from Quail_Antwerp under my broody hen. As in the title,we have 5 more days to go before any hatch and she is a GOOD Momma! She barely takes time to eat before she's back on that nest and has since she's gone broody.
I make it a point to boot her off of the nest to go downstairs once daily while I'm cleaning the roost and make her stay down there which adds up to about a 10 minute time off the nest once daily. She comes down, eats, drinks, poops and then rushes right back up.
The problem has come today in that she's obviously getting weak and skinny. Her comb isn't the bright red it was and with the hot weather that we've gotten smacked with suddenly, I'm a little worried about my broody.
I make sure that all 3 girls have extra water in a huge lasagna dish if they need it for cooling off feet(they haven't gotten that idea yet, lol), extra drinking water in there, along with oyster shell, and the treats we bring out there several times daily. They are in layer feed 16% and have grit and dust bathing access also.
I gave the broody a treat on the nest today when I saw she was getting tired and for once, she ate it! So, now that we're onto the homestrech with the eggs, should I try to boot her off the nest more than once per day or just try to rig up something so she can have food in reach at all times? She WILL not come off that nest unless you pick her up and drag her down, she's pecking all the way, lol.
We are doing this with a chicken tractor and have a brooder ready for the fuzzy butts when they get here.
Thanks!