What are your experiences? I want to make my chickens broody or at least encourage them to turn broody I would want some chicks!
What is the best way, or is there even a way?
What is the best way, or is there even a way?
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What are your experiences? I want to make my chickens broody or at least encourage them to turn broody I would want some chicks!
What is the best way, or is there even a way?
I will take your advice! hopefully I will have any progress to update you on!This year, like the two years before that, all of my hens have gone broody multiple times. I only have a few but I'm fairly sure it will work for you too. I used this method this year with nine hens; three silkies, one mutt crossbreed, and five serama and every one of them went broody. Here is what I do-If I want a broody fast I put a hen that is laying in a good sized pen with a nest box. When she lays I leave the eggs in the nest. When there is app 12 eggs the hen will go broody. The pen needs to be as big as possible. Sometimes I replace the eggs with dummy eggs if I have use for the real ones; one egg for each egg that is laid. Giving a hen a nest full of eggs will not make her broody; the nest has to gradually fill as the hen lays.
A similar method can be used in the coop with a whole flock. Each day as you collect the eggs put ONE dummy egg in the nest where you want a broody (you might end up having more than one hen go broody doing this). When the clutch is complete the hens will go broody that are using that nesting site. In a coop setting do not leave real eggs as they might get broken leading to egg-eating.
Some people believe broodiness is caused by a hormonal change and that is right, but it is the presence of eggs that cause the hormonal change. Hormonal changes do not happen overnight and that's why giving a laying hen a nest full of egg immediately doesn't work. The build up of a clutch has to be gradual.
Keep in mind that many breeds no longer have the broody instinct and will not brood no matter what you do. Also, clutch size varies. My serama went broody after laying just five or six eggs. Chicken clutch size usually is more than that; 10-15 eggs being way more common than 5 or 6. Please post the results. Good luck.
What are your experiences? I want to make my chickens broody or at least encourage them to turn broody I would want some chicks!
What is the best way, or is there even a way?
Old english gold bantam!
Just goes to show that pictures can be deceiving. He is a beautiful bird.Old english gold bantam!