Making a broody get up?

[sadie423]

Do you have to make a broody get up? I have 2 right now...both in a broody pen- together. One gets up at least every other day if not every day. She is more alert in general. The other I haven't seen get up in like 4 days- well since we moved her and started her on eggs. She is very low and flat and serious- zoned out, trance like state. She eats.....when I feed her. Should I force her off the nest- they only have like a 3 ft x 6ft yard then their nests. I don't want to bother her unnecessarily but I don't want her to get sick from lack of food, water, and exercise. And I don't want her to poop in the nest...which I don't think she has done yet.

Should I trust her instincts? or make her get up for a minute?

Sarah

 

[Southernbelle]

I never make mine get up. If she's not pooping in the nest then she's getting up when you're not watching. I have a constant stream of broodies in my Silkie pen and I just let them do their thing.

 

[pascopol]

Quote:
Live the broody alone. Make sure she has food, water and adequate room around the nest area to empty herself.

She'll do it once a day. Give her scratch grain with her food, broody burns a lot of calories and loses her weight during incubation.

 

[babsh]

Quote:
Live the broody alone. Make sure she has food, water and adequate room around the nest area to empty herself.

She'll do it once a day. Give her scratch grain with her food, broody burns a lot of calories and loses her weight during incubation.

I know the general rule is to leave them alone and I do agree. But my broody stopped getting up after a certain point and DID poop in the nest box. It was a pain. I had to clean it out several times cuz I didn't want newly hatched chicks running around in her poop.

I had the food in the nest with her and I'm wondering if that lessened her motivation to get up.

Barb

 

[verlaj]

Well - I am doing this for the first time, too. My hen is like yours in the trance. I know that she had not pooped since I gave her the eggs in her own private quarters. Plus, she is hardly eating anything. Got advice from BYCers - one said, get her off the nest once a day. I did that this morning - closed her in the big coop, and the others out. Opened up her private enclosure and gently removed her from the box. First she stayed in her trance in the broody pose, then she got distressed and ran around the coop clucking, flew up to the roost, back to the floor, then she strained and expelled a large firm poop that looked like an extra large golf ball swimming in green liquid. She didn't voluntarily return to her broody nest, but when I put her in there she returned to the eggs and nestled right down on them again. I imagine she feels a little better after getting rid of the giant poop.

 

[verlaj]

Forgot to mention - my hen is on day 6 on the eggs, and there was no poop in the broody box at all for those 6 days!

 

[Chickenaddict]

I have to say it depends on the hen, I have potty trained a few broodies, they refuse to poop in their brooder and require me to take them off 1-2 times a day so they can poop and i have had some that i don't touch that had pooped all over the eggs. I choose to take them off that way i can make sure they are eating and drinking at least 1 time a day. There is nothing nastier than broody poop and lots of it, this way it stays outside and i don't have the stink linger for hours.

 

[DukeDawg528]

I never make my broody hens get off the nest...Just make sure that they always have food and water...They normally get off the nest when you're not looking...

 

[sadie423]

The other hen has gotten up 3 times and there are 3 poops in the small run. So the other- if she has gotten up, hasn't pooped. She is very pale compared to the other one. I did check the nest and there was no poop in it. I give them treats in the evenings when we finish dinner and she will eat off my hand- I am sure it isn't the healthiest diet to eat bread, peas and corn from our dinner....but she is eating. I was worried about her drinking and so I offered her some in the nest- from a spoon- and she drank some. Just now she was sitting taller in the nest looking with interest at the yard so maybe she'll get up. I don't want to bother her, but I don't want her to get the eggs messy or get sick either.

I just looked out and they are both up and drinking.....I'm glad I didn't bother her earlier....but I set the eggs under her on Thursday (daytime) and she hasn't budged. Now I am not so worried though....

Thanks for the advice!
Sarah