Broody new mom panting

[Elliemae1984]

I gave my broody silkie hen some babies today and she took to them right away - yay!

We are at the beginning of some serious heat (Ontario, Canada) and I’m noticing my hen is panting quite a bit. But since she has new babies she probably won’t be willing to leave the nesting box to cool down, so I put fresh water in there with them.

Now I’m wondering will that be enough to keep her (and the chicks) from overheating? Is there anything else I should be doing for them in this extreme heat?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Does she have a predator proof and cooler run she can move about in with the chicks?

You may be able to entice her off the nest if you place food/water away from her and the chicks - this may motivate her to get up.

How long has she been broody?

 

[Elliemae1984]

Does she have a predator proof and cooler run she can move about in with the chicks?

You may be able to entice her off the nest if you place food/water away from her and the chicks - this may motivate her to get up.

How long has she been broody?

She does have a run she could move into if she chooses to get up. There have been days when she goes into the run for hours, but also days when she wouldn’t budge and I’d have to move her so she’d even eat and drink.

She’s been broody for about 26-28 days now. Took me a little longer than I’d like to find day olds for her to adopt. The babies are exploring the entire coop, but mom is staying put.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

It's instinctive for a broody that has just hatched chicks to remain in the nestbox for at least 24 hours after her chicks hatch. This gives chicks time to recover from exertion spent hatching, and the newly hatched chicks are still receiving nutrients from their absorbed egg yolks. A broody that adopts chicks will follow her instincts to remain on her nest even though her new chicks are usually 2-3 days old and already know how to find their own food and water. I would do as @Wyorp Rock suggested, move the feed and water far enough away that your broody needs to get up to reach her chicks. Since she is showing signs of heat stress and is in a possibly weakened state due to being on her eggs for 4 weeks, I would gently remove her from the nest box and place her near the food and water if she doesn't soon come out on her own. Congratulations on your new mom and chicks!

 

[Elliemae1984]

Thank you both!

I’ve moved the food and water farther from the nesting box. When I did, mom got up and did a lap of the coop but still didn’t drink any water. Then sat right back in her spot and started panting again

The one upside to this heat is that the entire coop is basically a comfy brooder so the chicks have explored everything already, including finding the new food and water spot

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Yes the chicks will be fine due to your 90 degree heat, but make sure your sweet and special broody is hydrated and comfortable too! (I have an extremely soft heart for mama hens, because i see all the sacrifices they make as far as giving up their normal chicken activities to spend 3 weeks or more doing little but incubating their eggs)

 

[Elliemae1984]

Yes the chicks will be fine due to your 90 degree heat, but make sure your sweet and special broody is hydrated and comfortable too! (I have an extremely soft heart for mama hens, because i see all the sacrifices they make as far as giving up their normal chicken activities to spend 3 weeks or more doing little but incubating their eggs)

Absolutely. She’s the sweetest little hen

I removed her from the chicks for a little fresh air which seems to have helped. She toured the coop a bit more, went into the run briefly, and ate and drank.

I’ll keep an eye on her for the next few hot days to make sure she’s taking care of herself as well as her new babies