Can you MAKE a hen go BROODY?

[Parismymare]

I took my silkie out of the coop and placed her in a box with chicks, she hadnt started laying yet and at first she did not know what to do so i made her squat and put the chicks under her once and then it clicked and she has been an exclent mommy

 

[lclough1998]

I took my silkie out of the coop and placed her in a box with chicks, she hadnt started laying yet and at first she did not know what to do so i made her squat and put the chicks under her once and then it clicked and she has been an exclent mommy

I love my silkies, they are up for just about anything egg or chick like! And welcome to byc! How many silkies do you have and what kind of chicks did you plant under her?

 

[sourland]

I can't believe this got to three pages and no one said anything about Sourland.




Hens do what they want...unless Sourland has been dancing...

I missed this one. I'm sure that I could have helped.

Do a little dance

'n' sing a little song

walla

We are getting to that time of year once again. Time to bring out the Broody GPS. Wonder if Gritty is ready?

 

[Parismymare]

I love my silkies, they are up for just about anything egg or chick like! And welcome to byc! How many silkies do you have and what kind of chicks did you plant under her?

I have two silkies, a black rooster and a white hen. the rooster mothered the hen, and now she is a mom. She has a pure whiteish silkie chick, a GoldstarX Black silkie rooster, Goldstar X Red Cochin rooster, and a american mother- i think she is pure bred, she has all the markings, she was a chick i hatched from a friend. The goldstar crosses came out of my flock the other two came from a friend.
I took her out of the box to giver her some alone time and time with the big birds and she just called for the chicks and layed down! silly girl, didnt want any alone time!!!!

 

[hschweitzer]

I had a bunch of eggs in an incubator, and coincidentally one of my young silkies went broody a few days before the hatch, stealing all the eggs everyone else laid. I brought her in and let her lay on a few of the almost done eggs, and when the first one hatched in the incubator, she took it right in. Ended up replacing the eggs under her with peeps, until finally she had 13 fuzzballs (all marans or auracanas + 1 BR). She has been taking excellent care of them for 12 days now! We have 16 Penedesenca eggs in the bator now, due in 18 days... if none of the other silkies get broody I'll probably bring one in a few days early and see if we can coax her. It sure has been easier with a momma taking care of the wee ones

 

[hschweitzer]

She didn't seem to notice or care that her lay only lasted a few days, or that she ended up with 13 babies, he he he. Gotta love the silkies!

 

[lclough1998]

Like you say, it is way easier to let a hen do all the work, and imo the chicks are better chickens, they learn all they need to do from the mom, incubator chicks dont have a mom to teach them to be aware of danger and scratch at the ground, etc. I never pass by a broody hen, they make it easy to have babies.

 

[Parismymare]

My silkie didn't care that she never sat on any eggs, she just took the 4.

 

[drchrisd]

I raise pheasants (eggs from a game farm hatchery) every year to release on our farm. For several years I just used an incubator, brooded them in the barn, and released them when they were about 14 weeks old. Always had a few hanging around for a year or so. Last year a friend suggested that I use a hen to brood them. I got two silkies. Put 10 pheasant eggs under one once she got broody, and hatched the others in the incubator. About 6 of the ones under the hen hatched; 23 of the 26 in the incubator hatched. When the incubator chicks were dry and fluffy I took them, two at a time, and slipped them under the silkie. She fostered 29 pheasant chicks - it was so cute to see them peeking out from under her wings, on top of her head, and everywhere. Eventually the other silkie, who had shown no maternal instinct, became a good "auntie" because the growing pheasants creeped under her when they were all too big to fit under the "mom." Getting ready to start again this year!

 

[ChicKat]

I raise pheasants (eggs from a game farm hatchery) every year to release on our farm. For several years I just used an incubator, brooded them in the barn, and released them when they were about 14 weeks old. Always had a few hanging around for a year or so. Last year a friend suggested that I use a hen to brood them. I got two silkies. Put 10 pheasant eggs under one once she got broody, and hatched the others in the incubator. About 6 of the ones under the hen hatched; 23 of the 26 in the incubator hatched. When the incubator chicks were dry and fluffy I took them, two at a time, and slipped them under the silkie. She fostered 29 pheasant chicks - it was so cute to see them peeking out from under her wings, on top of her head, and everywhere. Eventually the other silkie, who had shown no maternal instinct, became a good "auntie" because the growing pheasants creeped under her when they were all too big to fit under the "mom." Getting ready to start again this year!

Hi drchirsd
Welcome to the forum....it would be so adorable to see the pheasants under the hen (and on the hen). Really interesting approach.

I guess the OP is years old, but it would be great to be able to get a hen to be broody. As everyone says --- it's up to the hen, and the chicken keeper can just do a few things to nudge her along. Leaving eggs in the nest box, I've heard a calcium increase helps with the hormone levels--- The dark rabbit hutch...maybe that would help inspire her, warm and dark and safe. I don't think I would do the bucket, it seems a little harsh on the hen.

People who have broodies don't want them...and people who want broody hens don't have them. There should be a rent-a-broody-hen service to get the two groups together. JMO. ;O)