What're my obstacles to broodyness?

[amiachicknorwat]

It's like mid May and still no broodyness? I know it may be out of my reach, like the spring weather patterns. Hmm, at least in my previous 2 years with chickens I believe they went broody by now. I kinda remember late March the 1st year. ...but i dont trust my memory...its accuracy, anyway. I got my coop lights on 14 hrs. to encourage laying over the winter. Today our 25 hens layed 20 eggs, but we're most often slightly under 75%. That's going relatively well since that full stop after our flock was attacked by a meighbour's dog, 6+ mos. ago. I feed 'em well, water's provided regularly. They got a big long run they've yet to denude. I bring them compost regularly. I didn't have all this together back over previous spring broody seasons, so i'm at a loss as to why! why! why? Much Thanks for a clue, even. Nick

 

[featheredplanets]

Broodiness is dependent and controlled by hormones. Some breeds will have a higher tendency to brood than others, like silkies, pekins and orpingtons. You can’t force it or encourage it.

 

[amiachicknorwat]

I dunno about forced, but it's sure pushed and "encouraged" in humans, pervasively: hormone manipulation, which leaves me still wondering. My breeds went broody last year and the year before. This is what makes me think I may have something out of place, destroying the mood, or whatever. Thanks for replying.

 

[Morrigan]

My own totally unscientific theory is that sometimes it takes one to go broody to set the others off. People joke about "broodiness being contagious" but I honestly think there is something to it.

I had a wonderful orpington (my avatar) who would go broody like clockwork every April, and it it would seem to set off a chain reaction with several hens going broody in May. Sadly I lost her this winter to a bobcat. Now it's mid May and I have no broody hens, including one who went broody about this time last year. So I got orpington eggs in the incubator and need to get the brooder cleaned out and ready to go.

 

[amiachicknorwat]

Oh. Now i get it. Well I may've missed my boat. I thought it was just too early when one of them appeared to go broody, but then got off the eggs and didn't go right back on them after feeding. Then i took the eggs and she wasn't being protective.In those early April days...well now i know better to let the contagion develop. Maybe i dissuaded them from going broody rather than let their commitment build. It's not like I really needed the eggs (eye roll). Much Thanks

 

[bobbi-j]

If this is their third year, it could be that their hormones aren't flowing quite as much as they were before. If you want to hatch chicks on your own schedule, you should think about getting an incubator.

 

[dunnmom]

You may still get a broody. Two of mine went broody in July last year, and this year I got one in April. A really serious broody will sit on nothing, so it probably wasn't your taking the eggs that did it.

 

[amiachicknorwat]

Yipee I eh! They went broody about 10 days ago and like someone said it is contagious! I got 4 broodies out of 25. Plenty 'nuf for us. Now I wonder....and this may take a different thread: is it better to leave flock intact or split the flock so to give the new families space to develop. I have a small mobile coop and more than 1 rooster, so it's possible, but wonder if advisable, given the stress that could be caused, but i dunno either way. Anyone? Thanks, Nick

 

[whippoorwill0328]

Yea! I keep hoping one of mine will catch the broodiness from the one sitting, but no such luck. I was hoping to move my broody into a smaller coop but she didn’t appreciate that attempt at all, so I’m going to wait until after hatch and move them. And hold my breath and cross my fingers she is a good mama. This is both of our (me and the hen) first times so I have no idea what to expect.