[ordinarygull]

Hi

I have a buff orpington who is two weeks into sitting on a clutch of bantam eggs - I'm very excited about this as it's my first attempt at hatching.

I've only seen her off the next once, but she must be coming out when no one is looking (like those Pandas on the kit kat add),.

She does appear to be doing the most revolting poos though - huge, runny and indesribably stinky - is this normal, and is it because she is saving them up to just go once a day??

[splash101]

It is very exciting hatching eggs.

It is very much like the kit kat ad, mine used to leap out of the coop, poop, quick slurp of water and food, quick run around the coop and leap back in. Probably all in less than a minute.

Those big old piles of poop are normal 

[moomintroll]

Hi
 my little banty black rock is 17 days into sitting on her eggs.  To begin with, she would not come out and I had to lift her very carefully off and make her go out for few minutes lol. But last few days, she has briefly nipped out for food and drink. I also have food and water in her coop which I don't normally allow lol. Her poos aren't runny but absolutely huge and extremely stinking (take your breath away smell) she is not mucking in her nest at all, so I guessed like you said they save it up for a one a day job :-D
My first attempt at hatching too :-) Good Luck x

[Jo57]

lucky you....mine would not leave the  nest to poo and I had to clean out the nest and wipe eggs several times! Disgusting.

[ANHBUC]

I have not heard of runny broody poos, all the ones I have seen have been huge and smelly.  Here is a picture   

[orchardlady]

When I have a broody I establish a routine before she is allowed real eggs.

1. I settle her into her broody coop and run for 12 hours shut in.

2. She then has two or three days sitting on crock eggs, just to make sure she's not kidding about this broody business.

3. During step 2 I lift her gently out of her coop twice a day (morning and mid afternoon) and close the coop behind her. She will then have free access to mixed corn and fresh water. Often broodies have a bit of a panic and are desperate to get back to their eggs without eating or drinking. Be patient, don't' forget they are only crock eggs at this stage. I like to sit on a chair quietly near her coop and run so she starts to associate me with 'being out time' and won't panic as much once her chicks are hatched if I'm around them.

Once she has had a good drink, feed, poo (formed at the GATES OF HELL!!!) and scratch around (5 minutes or more) I open the coop again and she will return to her crock eggs. Clear up her large firm poo and fling as far away as possible. this will mean that her run will stay fresh for when the chicks arrive and she'll not track through the poo on subsequent perambulations and track it back onto her eggs.

4. Once the routine is established I then swap her crock eggs for real eggs and keep the routine up until just before hatch date. Then just leave her be.

5. Leave her coop door open during the day so she has good daylight and shut her in at night but of course keep her and the coop well shaded from hot sun and sheltered from the worst of bad weather.

6. The only addition to this is if the weather is cool or inclement I place and old folded hand towel over the eggs while she is having her constitutional.

My only comment about your broodies runny poo is that she might be a bit out of condition. Being broody is hard work and she has no time to be herself. Make sure she is only eating mixed corn, not layers or other treats etc. However you could possibly offer her a good dollop of live yoghurt mixed into some uncooked porridge oats to help her 'happy' bacteria in her gut and add a small dash of ACV to her water.

Hope this helps.

Orchardlady.

[ANHBUC]

Make sure she is only eating mixed corn, not layers or other treats etc. However you could possibly offer her a good dollop of live yoghurt mixed into some uncooked porridge oats to help her 'happy' bacteria in her gut and add a small dash of ACV to her water.

Hope this helps.

Orchardlady.

I have not heard to only feed mixed corn to broody hens.  I feed mine layers pellets or growers pellets and sometimes egg food.  Then when the chicks arrive chick crumb.  Have I been doing it all wrong?   

[ordinarygull]

Thanks everyone! I'm feeding her on chick crumbs at the moment, so will try some nice porridge with some yoghurt later.

[ANHBUC]

With regards to feeding porridge and yogurt - most people are already aware that it is illegal to feed anything which has been in your kitchen to your poultry but we are obliged to point it out.  We have to be careful not to appear to be inciting people to break the law whether we agree with it or not or the site owners can find themselves in trouble.      

[orchardlady]

Ah... I keep a small fridge in my shed and a pot of oats in a jar there. This yoghurt and oats comes straight from the supermarket to the shed.

Re mixed corn.

I have always preferred to feed mixed corn to boodies as they are not laying. Also as they have so little time to scratch about and be a 'proper' chicken the mixed corn helps to keep them plump. Broodies can loose a great deal of weight during their confinement as they only have a few moments to eat and drink throughout the day. As soon as the chicks arrive I switch to chick crumbs and the whole family eats that.

The mixed corn is my personal preference. Like many things it's not caste in stone!

Hope this helps.

Orchardlady.