thank you.
so what feed do roos need? I don't feed them laying pellets but whole corn, fermented wheat, wheat bran, sometimes boiled eggs, greens and they catch bugs, etc. they have egg shells and marble powder for calcium free choice.
the breeder that gave me marans eggs does not have fertility issue. I think it is about my broody. one morning she got up and could not find the way back. but she stayed away from the nest 20-40 minutes only, possibly not more than 30. the temperature was about 57f. all the other days she stayed out for 15-20 minutes and the temperature was higher than 64f. the last 2-3 days she was out for max 5 minutes.
I can only offer a comparison via my own broody. The only time I saw her leave the nest for longer than 5 minutes was when our daytime temps reached 100ºF. That day she was off the nest for a little over 10 minutes while she drank A LOT of cool water, dust bathed, and gulped down more food than usual. Most days I would time her as she ran through her routine in roughly 3 minutes and was back on her egg, and the last two days of incubation when the eggs began to hatch I never saw her leave at all. I made sure there was food and water in her pen so she didn't have to go outside, so she could've popped off the nest briefly, but I didn't see her come outside at all. So I suspect that Draye is right and your broody simply hasn't perfected her skills yet.