Hi, newb here.....my brooders stopped eating...

[DnA]

Howdy
New here, quite an informative site, thank you.

We have a number of heritage breeds of which two Buff Orps started brooding. I moved them at night with their eggs to new quarters. Going on four days I see no sign of them eating or drinking. They are still very protective of their nests...

I assume they would be very hungry by now, thirsty for sure....I haven't noticed any scratching or anything.......should I be concerned?

Thanks.

 

[gritsar]

Broody hens eat and drink very little, especially when they first tuck themselves in to set and again close to the time their chicks are due to hatch.
Just make sure they have food and water close by, also a place away from their nest where they can relieve themselves. They will usually have one very large, stinky poo a day. You can switch them to a scratch grain as their main source of food, as this helps prevent their stools from becoming too runny. Chances are, they are eating and drinking when you're not around.
Leave them be, but monitor how much food and water disappears. If they truly aren't drinking or eating at all, you may have to remove them from the nest for a little while and plop them down in front of a feeder.
I had one broody that I had to remove from the nest every other day. She simply would not eat or drink, even the most tempting of foods like scrambled eggs. I've never seen my current broody off of the nest, but her food and water is being consumed and she's the only one that has access to it, so....

 

[DnA]

Thank you....your advice is appreciated!

 

[Lisa202]

I had a broody that wouldn't eat either, even her favorite treats. But there was one thing she couldn't resist, and that was wax worms. Those they would gobble up.