Will broody eat?

[MonkeyZero]

Hey

Well, I have a broody but Im scard. What will she eat/drink. I never see her getting up. and when I touch her she growls. I pick an egg, and but her back in the nest box. Is this normal. and is it ok.

 

[MonkeyZero]

Oh yeah, and will/does the roo have to sit on the eggs, cause he just serviced her.

 

[Ericasl]

I also have a broody that I did not see get up today. I have food and water right in the nest box with her, I also put a little yogurt in by her. I checked her later and she had some yogurt on her beak so she must have had a few bits. I am also worrying about that. Sure hope somone with more info comes along. I did not see her broody poo today. You can not miss that.

The roo will not sit on the eggs, his job is done after his service. The hen must be with a roo for a week for two for her eggs to be fertile I think.

 

[lauralou]

I have one broody hen who will never get off the eggs. Once a day I take her out of the box so she can poop. I put her on the ground and she just sits there, so I kind of lift her and make her walk until the trance breaks, then she runs around for a few minutes, poops, dustbathes, and gets back on the eggs. She doesn't eat or drink while she's out, so I have a little container of food in her box. I bring her water whenever I'm out there. I have to pet her head before she will drink. She's a bit of a pain, but I'm afraid that she will just sit there until she dies if I don't make the extra effort.

My other broodies have all been fine, coming off the nest daily, eating, drinking, etc.

Also, all of mine make horrible noises, but are actually quite docile when they are broody, and can be handled easily.

 

[ibpboo]

Usually a broody hen will get up every few days or so when no one is looking. This is normal behavior, they have to keep the eggs warm. The hormones make them act this way, I do keep food and water by my broody hens too, and they will get up to do their business and it will be so large you won't believe it came from a chicken!! So as long as you have fertile eggs and they eventually hatch, nothing to worry about. Yaay, baby chicks for you soon!!

 

[BaronRenfrew]

I've seen broodies eat next to nothing. They will get unbelievabley skinny. One bird was a big dark cornish who laid thin shelled eggs and she disappeared one day. I thought she was a goner when she showed up weeks later for a quick bite and a drink. She had laid a nest and actually broke all the eggs. She kept going back to sit on nothing.

I had to pull her off the "nest" and put her in the barn to break the broodiness.

 

[callmeskipper]

I have a BO who is broody right now. She is one of four hens that we have -- no rooster. She has been like this for about a week, and I noticed she has gotten thinner (I have seen a couple of giant poops). I had the girls out yesterday, had to pull the broody off the nest and try to motivate her to scratch a bit and stretch her legs. Does anyone know how long this will last? We usually collect about 4 eggs a day, but my BO is not laying any now, and one of my other girls, an Araucana, hasn't laid any for two days, though she doesn't appear broody at all. Is there something I should be doing? (I have had them less than a year). Thanks for any and all advice.

 

[ibpboo]

If you have eggs that will never hatch, it is very important to keep getting her up and giving her food. They will sit until the eggs hatch, and if the eggs never hatch, well, they could sit forever. I had a hen once that would do this and I would end up getting fertilized eggs for her to hatch. A couple times I was able to buy chicks from feed store and was able to fake her out that the eggs hatched and she raised the babies. I was told different tricks to try to get her out of broody but never got one that worked. One of the tricks I remember was to dip them in cold water, but it never worked for me. I have two broodies right now with unfertile eggs that have been sitting for nearly 3 weeks now. I am lucky because the silkie had finally gotten up but the game hen is still sitting. My baby chickies snuck in the barn one night and slept with the silkie and that got her up. Before that she was pecking them. So for a couple days she hung out with them, I guess she thought her eggs hatched, and now I guess she thinks they grew up already. hee hee So, for the game hen, I am thinking of getting her some babies to try and sneak under her. If she doesn't take to them I can bring them in the house. We all need more chickens anyway right?!! Good luck

 

[MonkeyZero]

Well, shes broody since yesterday, with 2 eggs!!! Can I add a few more(like 4) more eggs that are fertile from another hen? My friend has some fertile eggs from her hen(not broody, but has a roo). My eggs are white, but my friends Welsummer has brown. SO there wont be any problems, right? They will be fresh laid. Will they hatch at different times?

 

[Chirpy]

Although most Broodies will get up to eat and drink once a day or so some won't ever leave their nest. Offering them food and water in their nest may get them to partake. Some people have good luck giving them yogurt (as mentioned).

You can put any fertile eggs under her, as many as ten for a Standard hen should be fine, it doesn't matter what the color or if you have different colors. The eggs should all hatch within a day of each other.

That's about the limit to my Broody knowledge. I also have my first Broody right now and have had some questions.