Depressed Muscovy (post--and during--broodiness)

[CeeJayP]

One of my Muscovies decided to make her nest in my neighbor's yard, which was quite a distance from her food and water sources. Being the over-protective mom, I brought food and water to her, and the neighbors would bring the food in at night and put it back out during the day (as to not attract predators during the night). I would check on her daily, but I could never catch her when she was away from the nest in order to mark or thin out the eggs.

I realized very quickly that she was not eating the food, so just assumed that she was foraging for her food while I was at work (all of my other broody hens leave their nests a couple times a day to groom and stretch their legs).

Long story short, I realized that she was not leaving the nest at all and I removed her (as it was way past the gestation period). All 17 of her eggs were duds (and rotten) and she was thin as a rail. I brought her into the house and syringe-fed her sugar water and cuddled with her to try to get her body temperature back up. She perked up a bit by day 2, and started to eat and drink.

But...

During her house arrest, I caught her favorite buddy and put him in with her (he's like a brother to her, and never tries to mate with her). He was wonderful and stuck by her side and groomed her, and chatted with her. After three days of them being in together (I even had a pool in there for them to splash around in), I finally released them because neither of them were eating. She seems to have no will to live. She hides away from everyone and barely eats. She used to be my feistiest and most active hen.

I've searched for answers as to why she's behaving this way, but now I've resolved that I might just have to let nature take its course. Does anyone have some feedback that might give me some hope or maybe a new approach?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

My muscovy hens leave their nests only once a day and generally it's early in the morning and I don't often see them do it.

Could be she's unwell. I have seen them get depressed when they lose their young or their best so that's possible too.

 

[its raining hen]

One of my Muscovies decided to make her nest in my neighbor's yard, which was quite a distance from her food and water sources. Being the over-protective mom, I brought food and water to her, and the neighbors would bring the food in at night and put it back out during the day (as to not attract predators during the night). I would check on her daily, but I could never catch her when she was away from the nest in order to mark or thin out the eggs.

I realized very quickly that she was not eating the food, so just assumed that she was foraging for her food while I was at work (all of my other broody hens leave their nests a couple times a day to groom and stretch their legs).

Long story short, I realized that she was not leaving the nest at all and I removed her (as it was way past the gestation period). All 17 of her eggs were duds (and rotten) and she was thin as a rail. I brought her into the house and syringe-fed her sugar water and cuddled with her to try to get her body temperature back up. She perked up a bit by day 2, and started to eat and drink.

But...

During her house arrest, I caught her favorite buddy and put him in with her (he's like a brother to her, and never tries to mate with her). He was wonderful and stuck by her side and groomed her, and chatted with her. After three days of them being in together (I even had a pool in there for them to splash around in), I finally released them because neither of them were eating. She seems to have no will to live. She hides away from everyone and barely eats. She used to be my feistiest and most active hen.

I've searched for answers as to why she's behaving this way, but now I've resolved that I might just have to let nature take its course. Does anyone have some feedback that might give me some hope or maybe a new approach?

My Muscovy, Bella was that way the first time she was broody. I had to take her eggs because at that time we had no male ducks for her. They were smelling bad they were so rotten. I would take her eggs and she would roll chicken eggs across the yard to her nest. Then she started sitting in the chickens nesting boxes. She only thought of those eggs and didn't eat unless I brought her worms or a bucket with feeder fish in it. I finally just couldn't take her weight loss and gave her a couple eggs from my chickens to hatch and hand fed her favorite foods until hatch day. She hatched the teenies and it was love.
The pet store knew me by name by the time it was all over.

 

[its raining hen]

heres my girl

 

[Miss Lydia]

@CeeJayP I'd seriously think about tube feeding her, sounds like she will be lost if you don't intervene @casportpony has a link to tube feeding.