Hello from Hawaii

[Alohaher]

I’m a new chicken mama, 6 months in. My favorite hen a buff Orpington who lays two eggs a day often, she’s broody and on day 18. She’s looking very rough and is not drinking water. And getting sloppy and not all eggs getting covered up like before. I’m gonna take a syringe to force water down her beak and carry her to a dust bath. I’m thinking to pull the eggs on the edges that are suddenly exposed into an incubator inside.
She was looking rough and a bit underweight or missing feathers a lil bit before she started going broody.
I work in a nonprofit helping youth; a mom to 3 grown girls; with 3 cats. I’m married to a long term educator.

 

[Debbie292d]

Hiya, and welcome to BYC!

You might want to post the details about your hen in our Incubating and Hatching Eggs forum.

It sounds like she was molting prior to going broody?

If this was earlier in the incubation, I might have pulled all of the eggs. Since she's only got three days left, I'd let her finish it out. Be sure to have a feeder with chick crumbles nearby and she'll eat those as well as the chicks.

As for the eggs on the edge of her nest, can you candle those? She might be rotating them around. If she had too many eggs to start with, there may be some dead ones in there.

We're glad you're here!

 

[muddy75]

 

[Bsmac]

Hello! Welcome to BYC! I hope all turns out well for your hen!

 

[pnw_urban_chix]

Hi and welcome to BYC!