Can I make a hen go broody?

[Farmgirl16]

can I encourage one of my hens to go broody

 

[Tonyroo]

Brooding takes a toll on her health. Don't ever really want a broody hen in winter.

 

[fluffycrow]

Depends on what you mean by "make". Try to encourage? Sure, have safe, clean, nest boxes that do not get too much sun, and let them collect their eggs. A failsafe way to make them go broody? No. What breeds do you have?

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

You can encourage hens to go broody, but you can never force them to. Providing safe, clean and comfortable nesting boxes encourages hens to lay in them, and if you let the hen lay a clutch or if you put fake eggs in the one nesting box, it may encourage the hen to become broody when she sees the opportunity to incubate. Breed matters too, because some breeds tend toward broodiness and some almost never brood.

 

[fluffycrow]

I've seen a bunch of videos from Pakistan where the people casually force hens to sit on eggs in a small box for several days. It looks like the hen will become broody under such circumstances

Personally I wouldn't force a hen to sit in such a manner. There's lots of constantly broody breeds out there that can make excellent mothers without being forced

I've seen those videos too. Two key components however. They are using extremely broody breeds and mixes. If the bird has a clutch of eggs underneath her for such an extended period of time, and she's also laying, she could go broody. Simply putting a bird that does not have the predisposition in a box like that will not work. And even if that wasn't the case, no one needs baby chicks so badly they need to abuse an animal. What you said is very correct

 

[casportpony]

This thread has been reopened after being cleaned up. If you cannot contribute constructively, please refrain from commenting.

 

[PoppasGrill]

Talk to her nicely , maybe a little fermented feed. And flowers…er..NM
Think it’s just when she’s ready, I know you can make them un broody by moving them off the eggs and putting them off .
Don’t know of a way to make them broody.

 

[BobStuart]

You can’t make them broody

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

What if you try to make them bored so they begin to sit.

That won't work. The hen has to decide for herself if she wants to brood, it's not a thing you can force upon them.

 

[Joe Wooten]

You can encourage hens to go broody, but you can never force them to. Providing safe, clean and comfortable nesting boxes encourages hens to lay in them, and if you let the hen lay a clutch or if you put fake eggs in the one nesting box, it may encourage the hen to become broody when she sees the opportunity to incubate. Breed matters too, because some breeds tend toward broodiness and some almost never brood.

I had a brown Leghorn go broody in late September. I think it was to stop teh other girls from picking on her, since she's the lowest on the pecking order. None of my girls' eggs are fertile since I do not have a rooster. If it had been a couple of months earlier, I would have traded eggs with a neighbor who doe have a rooster, but that was just way too late in the year.