broody hen and odor

[chick_love99]

I have my first broody hen. It is about day 21, nesting in a hen box. She is VERY dutiful. I have only witnessed her off the nest once. I am frequently home but of course I cannot say for sure. I too have been mutually dutiful. Feeding her treats and making sure she has enough water. Otherwise, I have not felt inclined to intervene. Physically she looks good as do her eggs. BUT - she is starting to smell a little, shall we say, greasy? As if she could use a dust bath. Should I be concerned? (mothers first) I don't feel inclined to pull her out of her nest box, I can't make her take a dust bath and the chicks should be coming soon...
Any advice? I mean, should I intervene in some way?

(also, I'm new to the forum and did a preliminary search but couldn't find any help per se. hopefully, I did not miss the obvious...)

 

[windtryst]

Do not do anything now...too close to hatch! Leave her alone...she will be OK

 

[MareeZoCool]

You could set up a private indoor dirt bath for your broody. Fill a sturdy box or basket with 3-4 inches of plain potting soil. My girls love this luxurious break from the nest!

 

[elmo]

Has she been pooping the nest box? I hope not.

Broody poo is definitely malodorous. At first I looked around to see if there might be a horse that slipped into our yard without my noticing.

 

[chick_love99]

a belated thank you to all for the information.
her eggs are still clean (no poop). I put a dust bath bin next to her nest box but no interest as of yet. and no eggs hatching yet (today is day 21). i guess it can take longer... broody hens are truly amazing. i would be mental by now.

 

[NeeleysAVLChicks]

Quote:
I totally agree! I gaze in at my two zombie broody hens frequently throughout the day in shear admiration. If I was required to basically play "Quiet and Still" like we did in elementary school for 21 days straight in order to have a baby, you better believe I would be adopting!

 

[chick_love99]

I am the daughter of chick_love99 and I just went out to the hen coop and took an egg out from under our hen and felt something moving inside! I got my mom and we both went out and took all the eggs out individually and found two eggs with tiny holes from the inside out; we also heard them pecking at the inside of the egg!
Happy happy, joy joy!!!

 

[rosalie]

I am the daughter of chick_love99 on my own account.
Good news:
Two eggs have hatched! 1 is a pure bred spangled sussex and the other is a cross between a spangled sussex and a buttercup! They are adorable! Rosalie, the mother, is very content and a good mother. We hope and think that 1 more might hatch!

 

[chicks4kids]

Congratulations! How many is she sitting on?