First 2020 set broody

[Happy]

What a cutie! Be prepared to want yo spend every second watching Momma hen with her babies. Nothing better in the world.

[Kbr42]

Mamma and the kids out for a stoll yesterday afternoon.

Not too many for her this time

[KimChick]

Oh, they are really cute!
My broody hen is stuck to those eggs! She has changed position a couple of times, but I'm not sure if she has had any water. And I place the water right near her.
I don't see any indication that she has eaten, either.
Kbr42 or anyone - Does this sound normal to you?

[Kbr42]

Yep! Is it close to lockdown for those eggs? If not lift her off of them and suggest she get food and water. If it's lockdown, they won't move. Just leave food and water wjere she can reach it.

[Jaye]

Oh, they are really cute!
My broody hen is stuck to those eggs! She has changed position a couple of times, but I'm not sure if she has had any water. And I place the water right near her.
I don't see any indication that she has eaten, either.
Kbr42 or anyone - Does this sound normal to you?

You may not see her do it, but most broodies will get up for the essentials when they need to. I always left feed and water a small distance away, so that she would have to get up to stretch her legs. I have also picked her up and put her out in front of the feed trough with the rest of the flock when I gave them all their morning fermented grains treats, about a week in to her going broody. She actually went out on her own most days after the first couple of times I did it. I always left her alone the last three days before hatch day.

[kenya]

I would just pick her up and put her near the food and water, she'll walk herself back and she needs to stretch her legs. Sometimes they won't get off the nest period and starve to death.

[Farrier1987]

I have a sort of closed off 3 combined laying boxes where I set my broodies, so the others dont lay there and the broodie hen gets off and back on the wrong box. always food and water in there. But nce a day, lift them off and let them eat and run and . My old Peachie, when I put her down, she kicks the tar out of a couple others and yells at them and generally causes mayhem, then in ten min or so I put her back and close her up again. Mostly works for me and is fun watching the interactions.

[KimChick]

I took the broody hen off the eggs this morning, set her out on the barn floor with water and food. She only ate when I first held the dish of wet mash and she pecked at the bowl that was "in her face" realizing there is food in there. But at least she ate. While she was out, I checked the laying box and there was that I scooped out. I figure because it was there, it is a good thing. She did not, however, stand up. Since it is only Day 4 of this, I'll get her out everyday for a few minutes and see how it goes.

[kenya]

I had one silkie refuse to get off the nest for any reason I put food and water at her face , finally lifted her off to check the eggs and they were covered in really disgusting looking. I figured they wouldn't hatch but I cleaned them all off and put them back under her, 9 of 10 hatched.

[KimChick]

My Barred Rock hen is on 2 RIR eggs. Since I have 25 eggs in the incubator, that's about all I can handle right now. The 2 eggs, if they hatch, will be about 11 days younger than the incubator hatch. Plus, at the end of the month, we have meat chicken and turkey day olds coming.
This is certainly an interesting Spring.