I’m not Mother Nature, but..... My journey hatching broody and bator chicks

[Chickassan]

If you're very worried I agree you should lift her off for a second. If she's hungry or got to poop she'll do it since she's been rudely interrupted anyway. Be warned, you'll get the worst stink eye of your life!

 

[cmom]

Well, even if she has already taken care of things by this afternoon, I’m going to set her off for a few minutes. In my haste to start my new chicken family, I forgot to mark the eggs before I put them under her so that needs to definitely be done. I don’t want another chicken making a deposit to the nest in the broody’s absence.

I've had this happen too. I eventually took the eggs out from under the broody and put them in the incubator. I let her sit on 8 eggs. When I removed the eggs there were 18 eggs under her.

 

[cmom]

If you're very worried I agree you should lift her off for a second. If she's hungry or got to poop she'll do it since she's been rudely interrupted anyway. Be warned, you'll get the worst stink eye of your life!

You may get some nasty pecks too.

 

[Mimi13]

I've had this happen too. I eventually took the eggs out from under the broody and put them in the incubator. I let her sit on 8 eggs. When I removed the eggs there were 18 eggs under her.

 

[Mimi13]

Be warned, you'll get the worst stink eye of your life!

You may get some nasty pecks too.

What is so funny is the five or so times I removed her from the nest box, when there weren’t any eggs yet, she would spread her wings making it very difficult to get her out. Also, it was as though she would grab ahold of the edge of the nest box with her spread out toes and hold on for dear life. In other words, she did everything possible to keep me from pulling her out.

 

[cmom]

I have had a broody lately and each day when I go out to collect the eggs, I toss her out of the nest box. I've been doing it now for awhile. Yesterday I guess she was tired of being tossed out of the nest box and got out before I collected the eggs from that coop. I'll know if she gets out again today when I collect the eggs.

 

[Chickassan]

They don't care, iv'e seen Lulu brood a rock hard turd. That broody brain knows no limits.

What is so funny is the five or so times I removed her from the nest box, when there weren’t any eggs yet, she would spread her wings making it very difficult to get her out. Also, it was as though she would grab ahold of the edge of the nest box with her spread out toes and hold on for dear life. In other words, she did everything possible to keep me from pulling her out.

 

[Dpyskaty325]

Look to see if there is poop on or around the eggs.

 

[Mimi13]

Look to see if there is poop on or around the eggs.

That was another reason I was pretty sure she hadn’t gotten out because I have looked for poop and none exists. But it is amazing how she turns and rotates the eggs because they are all in a different spot when I look. Nature is truly amazing. And we try and try to mimic it the best we can.

 

[aart]

That's why I like to segregate them from the flock with a wire wall,
easier to keep an eye on feed and water levels....and find those nasty broody poops.
They can stick pretty tight the first few, and last few, days.
Nothing wrong with pulling them out of nest if no evidence of such.
I like to get them used to me 'handling' them, can really pay off for monitoring eggs/nest and especially if problems later.