First time broody hen daddy

[N Good]

It's my first time with a broody hen. She didn't come out of the house on Saturday, only sitting on two eggs. We added some in slowly over the weekend so she's up to 9 eggs and today is the first day she didn't lay herself. This morning I marked them since she's been faithfully sitting, so that the other hen doesn't add any to the nest, trying to keep them all at basically the same hatch date.
Today she's been off the nest three times for 15-60 minutes each time. The last time she went back on she sat next to the nest instead of on it. Eventually she did get back on the nest but I'm wondering if something's wrong. Is it possible that me marking the eggs will make her abandon them?

 

[the_peanut_coop]

It's my first time with a broody hen. She didn't come out of the house on Saturday, only sitting on two eggs. We added some in slowly over the weekend so she's up to 9 eggs and today is the first day she didn't lay herself. This morning I marked them since she's been faithfully sitting, so that the other hen doesn't add any to the nest, trying to keep them all at basically the same hatch date.
Today she's been off the nest three times for 15-60 minutes each time. The last time she went back on she sat next to the nest instead of on it. Eventually she did get back on the nest but I'm wondering if something's wrong. Is it possible that me marking the eggs will make her abandon them?

Does the hen trust you?

 

[N Good]

Does the hen trust you?

Hard to say, we keep them as livestock not pets, but we do interact with them everyday (feeding, letting them out to free range) and we have a small flock (down to only 2 hens right now!) but its not like I'm regularly picking them up or talking to them or spending lots of time with them. She did go back onto sitting on the nest, but in the past two weeks she has eaten two of the eggs... I'm not sure what to think about it, I did candle some of them so I know that the embryos are growing. She is only a year old, so maybe she's still a bit confused about what she's doing.

 

[the_peanut_coop]

Hard to say, we keep them as livestock not pets, but we do interact with them everyday (feeding, letting them out to free range) and we have a small flock (down to only 2 hens right now!) but its not like I'm regularly picking them up or talking to them or spending lots of time with them. She did go back onto sitting on the nest, but in the past two weeks she has eaten two of the eggs... I'm not sure what to think about it, I did candle some of them so I know that the embryos are growing. She is only a year old, so maybe she's still a bit confused about what she's doing.

well if you managed to candle them without her getting upset...

 

[N Good]

well if you managed to candle them without her getting upset...

She was off the nest, we were still letting her free range and she would stay off for 30-45 minutes. I grabbed three eggs as soon as I saw her get off, ran inside with them, candled them in a dark closet, and then took them back out. I'm not sure she even noticed that I took them. She definitely hasn't abandoned the nest, but she does still sometimes sit next to the eggs instead of on them..... I guess its just a waiting game now.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

How warm is it there? When it's hotter than 90, my hens usually sit by the eggs most of the day since they'll overheat them by nesting all day

 

[N Good]

How warm is it there? When it's hotter than 90, my hens usually sit by the eggs most of the day since they'll overheat them by nesting all day

It has been in the mid to high 80's, maybe that's it. I'm not sure how hot it is in side the duck house, but I would imagine it might be even hotter than the outside temperature.

 

[ErnieBerley]

oh they move on and off the nest, never for too long of a time however. candling eggs has never made my hens stop broodiness

 

[Auntiejessi3]

 

[Miss Lydia]

She was off the nest, we were still letting her free range and she would stay off for 30-45 minutes. I grabbed three eggs as soon as I saw her get off, ran inside with them, candled them in a dark closet, and then took them back out. I'm not sure she even noticed that I took them. She definitely hasn't abandoned the nest, but she does still sometimes sit next to the eggs instead of on them..... I guess its just a waiting game now.

I've even seen my ducks straddle their eggs to cool them off.