I am going on vacation soon and my neighbors will be feeding and watering my chickens and collecting eggs. They are super nice people and the wife grew up with chickens and is happy to do it however, I don't want to ask too much of them. I want to make it as easy as possible.
However, one of my Buff Orpingtons, Sophia, has been acting like she wants to go broody... she has been sitting on her own or someone else's eggs some days for long periods of time and pecking me if I try to take the eggs. She gets up for treats and if I take the eggs, she gives up easily. No biggie.
But, I don't want to ask my neighbor to bother with treats and I don't want to ask her to reach under a protective pullet and get pecked to collect her egg. So, my question is:
If I don't ask her to take the eggs from Sophia, and she decides to sit on them... will she get up to eat and drink? Could she starve herself? I know you're supposed to isolate broodies if they are going to sit on eggs and you're supposed to give them food and drink close to the nest. I don't mind if she sits on some eggs for the week that I'm gone. And I can decide to take them from her or let her hatch them when I get back (and isolate her if so). My only concern is will she feed herself? She may not even go broody and then there is no problem... but I am trying to think of the worst case scenario here...
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
However, one of my Buff Orpingtons, Sophia, has been acting like she wants to go broody... she has been sitting on her own or someone else's eggs some days for long periods of time and pecking me if I try to take the eggs. She gets up for treats and if I take the eggs, she gives up easily. No biggie.
But, I don't want to ask my neighbor to bother with treats and I don't want to ask her to reach under a protective pullet and get pecked to collect her egg. So, my question is:
If I don't ask her to take the eggs from Sophia, and she decides to sit on them... will she get up to eat and drink? Could she starve herself? I know you're supposed to isolate broodies if they are going to sit on eggs and you're supposed to give them food and drink close to the nest. I don't mind if she sits on some eggs for the week that I'm gone. And I can decide to take them from her or let her hatch them when I get back (and isolate her if so). My only concern is will she feed herself? She may not even go broody and then there is no problem... but I am trying to think of the worst case scenario here...
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
