Feeding when Broody

[Roxannemc]

MyBuff Orp hen i think is going broody Spends days at a time in the nest box now Im sort of worried about her eating or drinking as I dont ever see her out at all
Should i put food and water in there ?.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don’t. If left to their own devices practically any broody will leave the nest to eat, drink, and poop. In cold weather she might leave the nest once a day for maybe 15 minutes. In the heat of summer I’ve seen a broody spend an hour off the nest two different times in one day. This assumes you don’t have her locked up where she can’t get out and about.

I said “practically any broody” for a reason. You are dealing with living animals so no one can absolutely guarantee what will happen each and every time with every broody on the planet. You can check under her. If she is not pooping in the nest, she’s getting up.

It also does not hurt a thing to take her off the nest once a day. You need to mark the eggs and check under her once a day anyway to remove any eggs that don’t belong. Gather all the eggs you want her to try to hatch, mark them so you can recognize them, and start them at the same time. If you don’t start them at the same time bad things can happen.

If you take her off the nest she will probably do one of two things. She might go eat, drink, and/or poop before going back to the nest or she might try to immediately go back on the nest.

I personally do not put food or water in a broody’s nest. If you have her locked up where she can’t go out you need to do have that stuff close by, but I want to encourage a broody to get up and get some exercise. I don’t want to encourage a broody to sit on her nest and poop in it.