Broody Hen Care?

Hey....more broody hen questions.
I have done a search..need to know
I have my first broody hen that I WANT to be broody and she is sitting on 12 eggs. 

She has settled down nicely (According to CynthiaM)..but i notice that she has not eaten.  I offered her some food and water holding it up to the entrance to the nest and she just sat there in a big-ol' broody trance.
What do i need to do if anything?  Will she look after herself?...or will she starve herself to death?
Thanks

1. Keep her separate from other hens, in her own safe space.
2. Leave food and water within sight; it doesn't have to be within reach. She'll get off and eat, drink and poop.
3. Avoid disturbing her during daylight hours (we keep our broodies in pet cages, and take them out to quiet private runs in the day, then carry them back in to safety at night).
If you need to move her (e.g. into a pet cage, to get her out of the main hen house nest box), do it at night. This is critical.

She is highly unlikely to starve herself to death. Think natural selection; hens that do that won't have offspring, and thus remove themselves from the genepool.

^ Good advice there.

Also here's an article with lots of info - and pics!
http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/broody-hens-1.html

 

Ah girl, this makes me smile.  I too have often wondered why the brooding mamma hen indeed does not starve to death.  She will eat when she needs to eat.  By the time of the brooding session, she will be very thin, if you can get to her to pick her up, shock, shock.  doubtful.  I firmly believe that when they go into the brooding mamma position, that they are in a state of ease. A state, wherein nature has allowed her to not require much food.  Neither will she defecate very much. But when she does....look out for that broody mamma poo, it stinks and it is huge, and ducks are worse, oh man, you don't want to be around when a duck brooding comes out to poo, talk about projectile STENCH!!!  And lots of it.  Don't worry about her.  She will eat and drink when she requires it.  She is not so stupid that she would starve to death, this is not natural, everything requires food, she will govern what she needs.  If it is there, she will take it.  You have a most beautiful set up for this gal, and she will sneak behind your back and munch up and drink up food and water.  Don't worry.  let nature be nature, and she will be alright, everything will be alright.  Trust me.  Please.  I know a little, enough to be of danger mostly to myself  

You have the perfect area for her, away from others that would bother her, a place for her to have that quiet time that she needs.  Hunkered down, flat as a pancake, with that knowing look in her eye, that she has a surprise below that beautiful belly, for you and herself, in about 19 days time now.  Build that little ramp, for when she takes babies out of the box, about 2 days after they have hatched.  She won't take them out until then, maybe even 3 days, but certainly not the first or second day. She is smarter than that, they need to get their sea legs and have strength, she knows that....she will look after their needs.  Buff orpingtons are the most beautiful moms.  I actually think they are better at mothering than the well known mother cochins, never woulda thunk that, but from my experience now with two seasons of buff mammas, they are premium.  Leave her alone.  Let her eat when she chooses, and drink when she chooses, she is in a state of ease.  A state of down, not requiring much to keep her life going....picture immobility, doing nothing but sitting on eggs, no illness to need food to help recover, just a state of quiet and ease.  You too, rest at ease, all will be well.  have a most beautiful day, CynthiaM.

I am so glad I found this thread. I have a new broody. Once I knew she was committed, I moved her at night and she's still on her eggs two days later in a new and private location. But I have not seen her eat or drink, and with the heat I'm a bit worried. Maybe I will worry less.

It's crazy how they can freeze and not even look like they are breathing. I've poked her one night because I couldn't see her moving at all, not even to breath.

Thanks for the good info.