I have a silkie that's been setting on a nest of infertile eggs for about 6 days. I was hoping they'd be fertile, but not the case. I am going to get some fertile eggs for her tomorrow. I know that they lose weight and whatnot while they are broody, so I am wondering whether it will be detrimental to her health to have to set an extra week to hatch her eggs.
She should be fine. I've given fertile eggs to a broody who had been sitting a lot longer than that, and she hatched them. Usually they will get off the nest once a day, eat, drink and poop, maybe scratch or dust bather a few minutes. You should be able to tell; if there's no poop in the nest she is getting up. It won't hurt, though, to take her off and encourage her to eat and drink once a day, even twice.
She doesn't get up on her own. I've tried to get her moving but she just sits where I move her. She's very aggressive on the nest. She's in the basement in her own happy cage, but there's a lot of action in and out of the basement. Unfortunately, there's no other option for a placement for her and I worry about all the noise and activity disturbing her....but she just sits and sits....and pecks like crazy when I try to interfere. Like I said, she will have fertile ones under her tomorrow, but I'm worried about her having to set an extra 6 days on top of the typical 21.
Don't give it another thought....she knows what she is doing and will take care of the eggs AND herself. The extra week will not bother her at all....she will be fine.
