Broody hen doesn't stay her nest all the time?

[cathydyson]

I have a broody hen that comes out of the nest more often than a broody hen would. We are about to give her some fertile eggs to hatch for the first time, is it dangerous for the eggs if she is not sitting on them all of the time?


She is coming off her nest 3-4 times a day. She spends the rest of the time puffed up and growling while she sits on some eggs.

 

[bobbi-j]

How long is she off the nest at a time? What is the weather like where you are? If she's off for short periods at a time, I don't think it's going to hurt anything. Especially if it's warm or hot where you live.

 

[RileyCalanchini]

If she's getting up 3-4 times a day, I wouldn't put any eggs under her. You wouldn't want the fertile eggs to go to waste.

 

[RileyCalanchini]

How long is she off the nest at a time? What is the weather like where you are? If she's off for short periods at a time, I don't think it's going to hurt anything. Especially if it's warm or hot where you live.

Your right. How long does she stay up?

 

[Rhandi74]

My broody hen gets up off her nest more then once a day when the weather is warmer. Today she got up twice that I saw and was stretching her legs and taking a dust bath for about 10 min. or longer. She does not leave the nest at cooler times and we had a few cooler days and I did not catch her off the nest at all. I trust my hen she has hatched chicks in the past and out of the 12 duck eggs she started with only one was not developing. The hatch date is Oct 13. You could always give her 2-3 and see how she does and put the rest in the incubator.

 

[BroodyKing]

Hie people,i have many eggs fertile eggs &Dawn my hen has bin incubating her eggs well for the past week and a half but now my other hen Helibow has her own clutch and she's eating em,she's been doing This for a while but i want to save the eggs for hen incubation,Dawn is good with incubation but she already has her own clutch & of the entire flock she's the only broody so far.