first time broody hen & human mama

[ydnak]

Hi everyone,
I live in Southwest lower Michigan on 40 acres with my husband, 4 cats, a horse & 5 hens. One of my 2 year old Buff Orpington hens has gone broody & the neighbor has supplied 12 eggs for her. Monday 4/14 mid afternoon I moved her to a sectioned off piece of the hen house & then set the eggs with her at 8 p.m. My concern is I don't think she has left the box to eat or drink. Do I physically remove her from the nest each day to encourage her to eat & drink or just hope she will sometime soon on her own????? I'm getting pretty worried.
Please help!!!!!
Thanks

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.

Unless you're out there all day long, you can easily miss her broody break.
Sometimes they get off the nest for 5 to 10 minutes.
Other times they'll get off the nest for an hour or more. And the time of day varies depending on when she feels the need to get off that nest.

If you are concerned about her, you can manage her broody breaks by physically removing her from the nest and giving her a couple of jabs to break her out of her trance. Then stick around doing your chores and make sure she gets back on her nest before you leave. That's also a great time to inspect the nest to make sure no other hens have laid eggs in her nest. It's very important that you remove errant eggs on a daily basis.

 

[007Sean]

Howdy, and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.

Happy to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!

Thanks for joining our community!

 

[Raisin_The_Chicken]

Hello and welcome!!!

 

[Burnt Brass Homestead]

Hi @ydnak

Welcome1

 

[ydnak]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.

Unless you're out there all day long, you can easily miss her broody break.
Sometimes they get off the nest for 5 to 10 minutes.
Other times they'll get off the nest for an hour or more. And the time of day varies depending on when she feels the need to get off that nest.

If you are concerned about her, you can manage her broody breaks by physically removing her from the nest and giving her a couple of jabs to break her out of her trance. Then stick around doing your chores and make sure she gets back on her nest before you leave. That's also a great time to inspect the nest to make sure no other hens have laid eggs in her nest. It's very important that you remove errant eggs on a daily basis.

Thanks soooo much for your advice. The reason I'm thinking she hasn't left the nest is there have been NO poops!!! Tomorrow I'll be for sure getting her up & out!
Thanks again
ydnak

 

[Debbie292d]

Hiya, and welcome to BYC!

They usually do take a break daily or every other day. How I know is they have a giant poop about the size of a golf ball in the yard. Sometimes it's just a few minutes but I've seen them out around a half an hour before.

 

[Tookie]

Hello, and welcome to BYC! Nice to meet you, we're glad to have you here. Good luck with your broody, and your hatch!

 

[pennyJo1960]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens. This is a great place to explore and hang out. You have been given great advice is all I will add.

 

[chrissynemetz]

Hello, and a belated welcome! Good luck with your broody mama!