My first Broody - What is normal behaviour?

[jendodd79]

My Blue Maran hen has been sitting on eggs quite a bit over the last 2 weeks. She'll sit on the eggs but then seems to get up to let the other hens lay theirs. (It's the favourite nest of course.) We don't have a rooster, so we keep taking them all away from her. Last night she was still sitting on the nest at midnight so I picked up some hatching eggs today.

#1 - is it normal for broodys to get up during the day, or do they sit 24/7?

#2 - Do I need to get her food and water closer to where she is? We keep it out in the run during the day.

 

[Judy]

They sit 24/7, except they normally get off the nest once a day to eat, drink, poop, and maybe forage or dust bathe. They are usually back on the nest in about 15-30 minutes. There is no need to move the food and water. She needs the little exercise she gets, and knows where it is.

If you want to do more reading about this:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/broody-hens

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/broody-hens-1.html