Silkie hen setting on eggs hasn't ate for 2 days PLEASE HELP

[buckhuntr2427]

I have a Silkie hen and she's laying on eggs for 5 days but last two days she has not are, drank, or even come out of coop. Is this ok or normal and what should I do please help

 

[HEChicken]

If she is brooding, it is normal for her to sit tight on the eggs. She knows they need to be kept warm in order to survive and that they will cool if she leaves the nest for very long. Broody hens will usually take a short break once or twice a day to eat, drink and poop. Your hen is probably doing this, but the breaks are so short you haven't seen her off the nest.

 

[buckhuntr2427]

Oh ok that's good to know I want chicks and her to survive so thank you

 

[Ridgerunner]

In the heat of summer it’s not that unusual for a broody to come off the nest twice a day and maybe stay off an hour each time. In cooler weather a broody may come off only once for about 15 minutes. There are some broodies I never see off the nest but they do fine. Some seem to stay off the next a lot and still have some really good hatches.

If your broody is not pooping in the nest then she is coming off to eat and drink.

A hen has a “fat pad” in her pelvic region. She stores a lot of energy there. That fat pad is why a broody doesn’t need to come off the nest much. She may lose a lot of weight while broody but it’s just fat she has stored up for that purpose.

 

[buckhuntr2427]

Oh cool K thanks as long as both hen and chicks come out good lol but thank yall

 

[kmollyhughes]

I pull my broody girls off at least once a day if I don't see them get a break. And if I know they are losing a ton of weight I make sure I give them a little dish of food, treats, cooked eggs, oatmeal, etc and give them a rub as they eat to keep them from zoning out. It's cold here so don't want them to go hungry and have to burn even more energy keeping herself and eggs warm.