Broody Silkie Hen

[Andreamarie90]

Need help, advice, tips and tricks!!!!
So, my Pearl girl has never show signs of being broody... until I brought some chicks home. But the weird thing is, I tried to sneak them in her coop with her in the evening to get her to be their mommy but she was NOT having it. Well, a week goes by and all of the sudden she is walking by the babies brooder and acting really interested in the babys. So i put her in there with them and she squats down, expands her wings, and corals them under her.... weird but okay, you can be their mommy. I put everyone together in a coop/kennel. 3 days later, she has gone full blown broody! Picked feathers off her chest/stomach, is not getting out of her nesting box. (ive seen her get up once in the last 3 days). Her eggs arent even fertile!! So i gave her what I assume to be some fertile eggs from my outside coop where i have a handsome roo. She seems to be doing okay. But this is my first time ever having a broody chicken. Ive only been a chicken mommy for a year. I dont know what to do. Ive made sure she has easily accessible.
So, If she doesnt drink... should I give Nutridrench? Should I take the other babies out? Anything else i need to know?
also, to add... shes an inside silkie

, in a huge kennel in my office. She usually comes in and out of the house all day with the dogs and wears a diaper and chills around the house? should i be taking her outside every so often to get fresh air?

 

[Debbie292d]

Is she still letting the chicks go underneath her? They look like they're about 2 weeks old?

They'll sit on nothing and be broody so good you got her at least sitting on some fertile eggs!

If she doesn't get up to eat/drink, then yes, at least every other day or so I'd take her out of there. She should eat like she's ravenous as she is.

It wouldn't hurt if you wanted to take her outside or give her Nutra Drench, that's all good!

 

[Andreamarie90]

Yes, the babies are about two weeks old, and she was sitting on them, but now that shes got 5 fertile eggs, she is no longer sitting the babies. She's still tolerating them, and they still try and cuddle her and she doesnt seem to mind.

Yesterday, as i was filling up the little ones feed with starter, she got up and ate some of her feed, which is layer feed and a little of the starter feed too. She did eat it like she was ravenous!! I did not see her drink so, i offered her a little bowl with some water and she drank a bit from there.

How long can she be off her eggs? When I take her outside for a little bit every other day, how long should i do it for?