Feeding Runaround Sue the broody hen 2x a day and foam square on clutch to keep it warm

| My Buff Orpingtons that brood are very dedicated and unless it is July hot, they won't voluntarily get off the nest to eat and drink. Since April/May is cooler, I've been pulling Runaround Sue (on left) off the nest 1x a day to eat and drink, laying her down right by the feeder. I suspect their legs go a bit numb being frozen in place so long, but she gets up, eats, drinks, runs for a dust bath, scratches grass and returns. I noticed her keel bone was awfully prominent, indicating she is losing too much weight, so I decided to pull her off the nest 2x a day instead of once. As part of this, my tips:
Hopefully this will result in both a fine hatch and Sue keeping her weight stable. She's a dedicated broody who raised a great clutch last year, so I wasn't too worried about her losing interest. If she was lackadaisical, I'm sure I could place her at the edge of the nesting box and she's home right in on her job. Any other ideas you can think of? [link] [comments] |
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