The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Terri on April 29, 2013, 02:05:26 pm
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Eggs are hatching - do I leave broody hen on the eggs or still move her off to feed and drink etc? :-\
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No, I wouldn't move her now. You don't want to disturb her until all the eggs have hatched. She will be fine and will know when it is the right time to leave her nest to eat and drink. Sometimes they sit tight for a while even after all the eggs have hatched.
:fc: for a good hatch :excited:
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I would leave her too - she will be more interested in her eggs at the moment, and moving her may upset her. She will come off the nest when she is hungry enough.
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Thank you - that's what I thought but this is the first time I've allowed a hen to be a mother!
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We always leave ours strictly alone for the whole of the brooding and hatching period. I know many folk regularly lift them off the eggs to eat, drink and dung but I take the view that it's not in Mother Nature's interest to let a broody starve and, indeed, it's never happened to one of mine yet. Similarly, I just chalk the hatch date on the broody coop and keep an eye on her around then and a couple of days before change her feed for chick crumbs and her water container for one suitable for chicks. As soon as she brings the chicks outside I take the opportunity to clean out muck, eggshells and unhatched eggs from the coop then again leave her to get on with it. I've heard of hens turning on their chicks and kilingl them if stressed so I do everything I can to avoid that.
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Heavy breeds need lifting off the nest daily for exercise. Their legs can be crippled if they sit for too long. Orpingtons are prone to this problem.
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I've certainly been lifting my Orps once a day. They do stumble about a bit for a while and then stretch out their legs and wings before troughing down and heading back on. I'm not convinced they'd get themselves off. Having said that, I wouldn't shift them for the couple of days around hatching (although I did lift them to see how the hatch was going - just too curious - but then put them back straight away, not for food and drink). It was really strange to see my first broody come out of her broody stupor - she sat tight for a day after the first hatch, then decided the rest of the eggs wouldn't hatch and just gradually seemed to wake up. She seemed to come to in line with the duckling perking up and wanting to explore.
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