Broody mom question

[soldbydawson]

Hi So I have a Broody mom who just started laying on eggs, today will be day 3. She doesn't appear to be getting off at all to eat or drink. i have tried leaving food and water by her but she doesn't want it. What should I do?

 

[centrarchid]

She is likely coming off nest for a hour or so during the near middle of each day. I like to provide water and feed at least a few feet away from the nest.

 

[Peppercorngal]

Don't worry, she won't starve herself! My broody, Maggie, gets off her eggs very seldom, but she does get up. She will get up, eat, poop, and even dust bathe when she wants. Broody hens know just how long they can leave their eggs so don't worry about them either! Nature will take care of everything for you!

 

[AMaggio]

My Silkie does the same. She'll gorge herself on feed and fill her crop then back to sitting on those eggs. I'm not even hatching any, she just nests constantly even when there's not an egg in the coop. Not that I mind, she's keeping those eggs from freezing overnight

 

[soldbydawson]

Thank you all for your reply's. I just don't want her to starve. I have food and water right outside her nesting box. The funny thing is I just incubated 7 of her eggs. They hatched a week ago and I took her in to show her the eggs. She had no interest in sitting on them before that. Now that I have 5 new chicks, she's sitting on 5 more. lol. I hope they hatch I would love to see her with some babies!!

 

[centrarchid]

Thank you all for your reply's. I just don't want her to starve. I have food and water right outside her nesting box. The funny thing is I just incubated 7 of her eggs. They hatched a week ago and I took her in to show her the eggs. She had no interest in sitting on them before that. Now that I have 5 new chicks, she's sitting on 5 more. lol. I hope they hatch I would love to see her with some babies!!

The incubation and imprinting processes have a sequence that is followed. Imprinting will not start too early in the incubation process. Imprinting seems to start somewhere about day 19 of incubation. Introducing chicks too early has where hen will not be receptive.

There are many reasons not to have food and water close to nest site. I advise against it.

 

[chrissynemetz]

Most of my broody hens will leave the nest to eat and poo at least once a day... but I had one hen who flat refused to. I had to physically take her out into the run and close the coop to get her to eat and drink. And this was daily, every time she went broody.

 

[aart]

There are many reasons not to have food and water close to nest site. I advise against it.

Ditto Dat!


You might want to break your broody, unless you want to manage 2 age groups of chicks.
She might take the bator chicks, timing is far from ideal but have heard of it working.

 

[AMaggio]

Now that I have 5 new chicks, she's sitting on 5 more. lol. I hope they hatch I would love to see her with some babies!!

You know, if you stick little chicks under momma hen at night when she's sitting on eggs you can often trick her into thinking her eggs hatched and those ste her babies. Good luck with three hatching!