Help! Hen sitting on bad egg, what to do??

[Maqui25]

Hi, so there's a hen who started laying under the porch in a hard to reach place. I used a long stick to take out the eggs, but she became broody after laying the last one. She's been sitting there over a single egg for over 30 days by now so it probably went bad. I'm afraid she's gonna get weak and sick sitting for so long, but also I don't know if it's bad to be broody and come out with no chicks at all. We can't move her or remove the egg, so what's the best course of action? Leave her alone until she gives up? Wait for her to move and take out that egg? (but I've never seen her out all these days) or give her eggs from another hen so she can sit on those?

 

[Yardmom]

Is the egg fertilized? If not there is a good chance the egg is not rotten, but that doesn't really matter much. She has to be getting up every couple days to eat and drink etc.
It shouldn't be much longer until she gives up, but if you can get a hold of her put her so she can not get back to the nest.

 

[Cloverfluff]

I had a broody hen sit for an additional week or so on an egg I thought was viable, but she eventually decided it wasn't going to hatch and gave it up on her own time

 

[rosemarythyme]

If it's been 30 days her biology should tell her to quit. But since she hasn't, and you've said she's not coming out, have you at least confirmed she's alive? Sounds macabre I know, but she cannot survive without at least drinking once in a while.

or give her eggs from another hen so she can sit on those?

Do not do this - she will either die from declining body condition from attempting to sit another 3 weeks, or the eggs will start to develop and then rot, right along with the other one under the porch.

Once she's out the underside of the porch needs to be blocked off or the chickens need to be restricted from accessing it, or you will likely have this same issue again in the future.

 

[Cloverfluff]

I would like to recommend figuring out a way to get to her and placing chicks at night, but unless you have access to a day or two old chicks, it's kind of the wrong season. I ran into that issue with mine. Her last clutch was deemed unviable right before/during the off season. You also run into the issue that if she won't adopt, now you have to hand raise young chicks. (definitely had to rig my operation up)

 

[Mrs. K]

Get a neighbor kid to crawl under there and get her out.

However, there is a good chance that if you do nothing, she will come out eventually. Very few animals kill themselves.