Can I make my hen broody ?

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Hens go broody when their body tells them to do so, and not all breeds go broody. What breed hens do you have? Some feel that allowing a hen to 'build a clutch' of eggs can encourage broodiness - I am not certain that is a fact. If you do get a broody hen they can very effectively hatch and raise ducklings. Some will not go the extra time required for incubating duck eggs, but most will.
 
*2. There are some breeds that are more likely to go broody than others (so i have read here) so maybe search for breeds that go broody and consider getting a couple?

CT
 
BBQJOE said:
My breeder said that there are folks out there who are trying to breed broodiness out of chickens.
Sounds stupid to me.
Click to expand...

That's already been done in several breeds. Leghorns are almost impossible to get to brood, for instance. One broody cycle can take a hen out of egg production for 3 months, so from an economic standpoint it makes sense to breed it out for production layers.
 
I am in roughly the same spot right now. I HAD a broody Black Copper Maran. I was going to use her to raise some fertilized eggs. However, by the time I confirmed she was serious, tracked down some fertile eggs, got a second enclosure(to keep her from getting distracted by the hens while in the nesting box), etc... She stopped going broody. Now, I am trying to induce her to go broody again with a clutch of fake eggs, in her own coop and run. I made the other little coop and run so in is connected to the existing one and the flock can visibly see her when she goes out, to minimize any social disruption. So, far I have not had any luck in inducing her to go broody.
 
*UPDATE* I could not induce my previously broody Black Copper Mar to be broody again. In fact she started to lay eggs again. Oh, well maybe next time.
 

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