Broody Hen Off Nest a Lot

[MadChickenMama]

I've had this broody hen at my house sitting on 3 eggs since Saturday night. She has gotten off the eggs very few times and barely eaten anything, until today.

I finally had to fill up her food dish this morning cuz it was pretty low. Put food in it on Saturday evening when I moved her here. She did eat a scrambled egg I made her as I was worried she wasn't eating enough. But now she ate all that I gave her this morning and I had to fill the dish again. Then she's also eaten everything that she'd spilled her first night here.

Almost every time I peek through the crack in the door I see her off the nest. Not to mention she was off for good ess knows how long this morning. It was cooler in the room she's in than normal so the eggs were very cool to the touch.

She's also finally pooped like she should have been doing. Before she was barely pooping anything and now twice today she has pooped huge amounts, which I feel is a good thing.

But she just keeps eating. I though broody hens got off the nest once a day.

I'm a little worried about her constantly getting up and down as she stays off for a while. Would that constant temp fluctuation have any affect on the chicks? They're due on Monday.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Sounds like she gave up on them. They usually don't stay off the nest long unless it is quite warm and then often just once a day.
Normally it is a daily or less excursion when they dump the enormous broody feces, eat, drink, stretch and if available, they dust bathe.

 

[MadChickenMama]

Sounds like she gave up on them. They usually don't stay off the nest long unless it is quite warm and then often just once a day.
Normally it is a daily or less excursion when they dump the enormous broody feces, eat, drink, stretch and if available, they dust bathe.

Yeah see, I'm thinking that, too. I've seen others who have had broody hens off the eggs for 3 hours and the eggs are fine, but of course they're outside in heat whereas this hen is inside where it's about 80 degrees but last night the room cooled off to less than that.

I mean she will go back to the eggs but she no longer puffs up at me when I come in if she's on the eggs and she doesn't seem to care if I take them.

I've already taken 1 egg from her as it was difficult to see movement and the air cell has barely changed at all since day 14 and they're due to hatch on Monday.

I just don't want the up and down and up and down of temp changes to mess with the chicks. These are Seramas, which I've read can be a bit difficult to hatch.

 

[Redhead Rae]

I had one girl sit well for 1 week and then she quit. None of the eggs made it though.

 

[MadChickenMama]

I had one girl sit well for 1 week and then she quit. None of the eggs made it though.

Yeah I've hear they can do that. She was sitting for just over 2 weeks. I put the eggs in the incubator on a Monday and that Thursday she went broody. We didn't have time to move her until Saturday of the following week. So she's been sitting on them almost a week now.

 

[Redhead Rae]

Were you able to save the eggs by putting them back in the incubator?

 

[MadChickenMama]

Were you able to save the eggs by putting them back in the incubator?

Well it was just this morning I noticed the different behavior. But I just left the house a few minutes ago and peeked in at her through the crack and she was actually sitting outside the nest.

When I get home I'm taking the eggs from her and putting them back in the incubator.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You can try but with that much time off the nest in that temperature, it would be a miracle if they made it.

 

[MadChickenMama]

You can try but with that much time off the nest in that temperature, it would be a miracle if they made it.

She's been on and off all day. She was sitting on them when I left around 12:15pm today. As far as I know she was sitting on them for a good few hours this morning after I initially saw her first thing today.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

What breed of hen is it?
How old is she?
Has she hatched chicks before?

If the eggs are left unattended for more than a couple hours at 80F or below, it isn't very likely the embryos will survive.
This read should give you all the information you need to know.
http://www.brinsea.com/Articles/Advice/PowerOff.aspx