Hen setting 8 weeks now! What to do?Will she go blind?

[debbie.h]

I have a hen that sat for three months! After 27 days on a batch of eggs, we remove them and put some more under her. On the thrid batch, SUCCESS!! She now has three biddies happily running in the yard.

 

[shadygardener]

Thelma Lou, my hen that's been setting too long, did that too! We speculated it was because she knew the chick should have already hatched. Or either it was an accident. That's when she continued to set, although there were no eggs under her. So I gave her eggs from another hen. Anyway, if these eggs don't hatch by the end of next week, I'll get her a couple of biddies at the feed store.

 

[shadygardener]

Well, we finally followed your suggestion to just get Thelma Lou some biddies. We bought 2 at the feed store and late at night tried to sneak them under her. She woke up and saw them and very excitedly raised her wings to scoop them up under her. They were already 8 days old, but all the next day she treated them like newly hatched little babies and would not allow them out of the nest. That was 8 days ago, and she just loves them to pieces! They seem to be glad to have a mother. She's taught them to scratch and eat and take dust baths. We're just trying to keep them safe till they're big enough that the cats won't get them. Thanks for all the advice!

 

[happytxchick]

This is great...I have enjoyed reading this topic...and what a great end to the story.

On the going blind thing...here are my thoughts (as a nurse to humans, knowing how weird things can be with body systems): setting too long is unhealthy for a chicken, just as staying in a hospital bed (or any bed) is unhealthy for a human -- leads to blood clots, pneumonia, muscular atrophy and the list goes on...perhaps someone has had a chicken broody for too long and the onset of dehydration (or perhaps an infection) led to blindness...this is possible...and you know how our sweet "old-timers" are...one blind chicken and it's bound to happen to ALL of them.

 

[shadygardener]

That's kind of like what my husband said. You got a smile out of me too. Thanks!