New Mamma Won't Get Up - Need Advice Please!!!

[GrandmaCluck]

Gracie is a Buff Orp. When she was sitting on eggs I picked her up off the nest twice a day and shooed her outside to eat and drink. If I didn't do that she never left the nest. The day before the chicks hatched, I moved her eggs to an extra large dog crate in the coop. When she came in from outside I showed her where her eggs were and she settled right down. The eggs hatched - this is day #3. I have chick feed and water in there. The chicks have found their way to the food and water. Gracie never stands up. She stays laying down and shows the chicks how to eat. But I have never seen her get up or go to the water which is on the end of the crate. She seems to be shaking her head alot. When I open the crate door she lets me touch the chicks. Should I pick her up and send her outside at least once a day keeping the chicks in the crate? I live in Wisconsin - it's warm and humid - in the 80's - but too early to let the chicks out yet. HELP! She is such a good Mom I don't want to lose her.

 

[rancher hicks]

Please forgive me but once again we are asked questions about this very thing.

Where did you get the notion broodies can't hatch with out your interference? I'm just curious when folks post such things and wonder why or where they get information that they have to meddle in the affairs of a broody hen.

I have yet to read from anyone that their broody hen starved to death hatching eggs. Why or where did you get information that this was something you needed to be concerned about?

I have had a number of broodies and wonder if this is something I need to worry about? If anyone can tell me where they got information that I need to worry about a broody hen starving to death while hatching, please direct me.

Perhaps the reason she is reluctant to get off the nest is she thinks she still needs to sit on eggs. Perhaps it's time to do some research on broodies?


**edited. Please be nice along with your message.**

 

[danischi24]

Mother nature often knows best but some animals do die in the process, that's how they don't live on to pass their genes to future generations. However, we screwed that up with selective breeding so it's quite possible that something in her brain says to keep sitting. I would take her & her chicks & move them to a secure area so she is forced off the nest.

 

[suburbanminifarm]

Broodies often don't get up for the first 2 critical days. They know instinctively in their little chicken brains how fragile newly hatched chicks are and how prone to chilling. That said, just keep an eye on her and put her out with her chicks as necessary.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

My broodies usually do not leave the nest until the third day. Momma is waiting for the chicks to finish hatching, and get their land legs. She wants the chicks to be able to keep up with her as she moves and for the little ones to be able to get out of the way of others.

I do keep water and food within reach of the broody, and like you have seen, she will show the chicks food/water. I also dust them for mites/lice every couple weeks while on the nest, just cause they are not bathing like they normally do.

 

[Oven Ready]

I have yet to read from anyone that their broody hen starved to death hatching eggs. Why or where did you get information that this was something you needed to be concerned about?

That was just tempting fate...

We had one chicken who sat on her eggs for what we think was about five weeks. For some reason we had failed to note when she started sitting and at that time we had visitors staying and lots of other chicks hatching, we pretty much forgot about her. One morning we found her on the ground below her nest doing the 'drunken chicken' thing. We isolated her, fed her up (forcefully) for three days and she was back to normal. We had marked her eggs and put them under another bird that was due to hatch in a few days. Turned out all her eggs were completely infertile. I reckon, without any hatchlings there was nothing to trigger her to stop sitting and she just sat there getting weaker and weaker and our lack of attention let it go on for too long.

It's never happened before. We'll never let it happen again.​

 

[GrandmaCluck]

Post removed.

Please do not respond with flaming and calling names. Just use the report button.

 

[elmo]

One of my hens stayed on her nest longer than three days, although all her chicks had hatched and seemed quite able to be out and about. So I lifted her off and put her down in the run. Her chicks followed, and they all started scratching and eating, etc.

Back in the nest, I noticed that she had taken the tops of all the eggshells and stacked them neatly inside the bottoms of all the eggshells. Um, ok. Weird. I think she was still setting on these eggshells.

If all the chicks have hatched and you see them able to be up and about, I'd go ahead and move the hen off her nest. Her instincts may be a little off kilter like my hen's were.

 

[rancher hicks]

Grammacluck,

I assure you my questions were quite serious no matter how anyone took them. I've read a great deal about chickens before I got them and not everything is in the books. There may in fact be a reason to worry about hens dieing on the nest hatching eggs. Yet no one gave me a definitive answer.

Nor did you answer my questions either. Perhaps you did read something? And maybe my question of researching was directed to myself.

Perhaps is just anothe word for "maybe", which allows someone to say, yes that might be right or no that's not right.

**edited. Just use the report button**

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
She will be fine-I have a broody-had several this Summer and they dont move for days-if they have water and food near them they'll be just fine..you'll see just be patient

COngrats on the new babies!