Broodiness induced, or just a coincidence?

[mommissan]

I have a cochin/australorp mutt that went broody on me early this winter. I figured it was the fake eggs I left in the nest boxes for "training". I removed the fake eggs and just kept tossing her into the snow until she got over it, in about 3 weeks. Then, someone ate an egg, so I put the fake eggs back in again to stop the egg eating. After two weeks of that, she went broody again. Now I started to wonder. I wanted to see if it would happen again. More than a month passed without any broodies, and the fake eggs went back in. Well, after about two weeks, she went broody again today! I left her three EE eggs to hatch for me.

Would she have gone broody without the fake eggs, or can she be that easy to "stimulate"?

 

[Den in Penn]

There seems to be a spectrum of beliefs on this subject. I fall into the, having eggs in the nest doesn't matter camp. For the record how many eggs fake or real were in the nest when she went broody?

 

[mommissan]

At first, 11, then split 5/6 between two nest boxes, then just 5 in one. I checked under her today and she had 5 fake and 3 real. I know it doesn't work on any others. Likely that she's just very broody?

 

[ChicKat]

At first, 11, then split 5/6 between two nest boxes, then just 5 in one. I checked under her today and she had 5 fake and 3 real. I know it doesn't work on any others. Likely that she's just very broody?

Pretty eggs mommissan..... In your Avatar.
Just let me borrow your Broody Hen!! Lol. Seriously, everyone will say get the eggs out of there so that they don't go broody, so I'm of the school that eggs may stimulate the broody hormones. Chickens!

Good luck with the 3-real eggs!

 

[mommissan]

Thanks Chickat! My mutts lay all sorts of strange colors. Great for Easter. My broody doesn't lay eggs worth a darn, but I'll gladly keep her for hatching! An incubator/brooder all in one! As of now, she's worth $350.

 

[ChicKat]

Thanks Chickat! My mutts lay all sorts of strange colors. Great for Easter. My broody doesn't lay eggs worth a darn, but I'll gladly keep her for hatching! An incubator/brooder all in one! As of now, she's worth $350.

She's worth more than that---because of all the precious time she will save you. ahhh chicken people...appreciate those broody hens.

 

[CarlaRiggs]

I'd love for one of our hens to go broody! We've an australorp, wyandotte, buff orp and barred rock. They're three years old, and have never been broody a day in their lives.
Once or twice we've found a stash of eggs in the bushes.... another time I was gone and the kids were caring for the hens. Another stash of eggs in the nest box.
No broodiness at all. One of the reasons I purchased these chicks was their supposed penchant for turning broody.
I'd love to have a broody hen, and then put a few day old chicks under her one morning when the timing is right. I thought about 'borrowing' a rooster for a few days and wondered if that would do the trick, and get the hens 'broody' hormones flowing.

Any ideas??

 

[mommissan]

Well, I adopted a few roosters, and I left those fake eggs in there for almost 3 weeks. I'm not sure exactly what made it happen, or if any of these things caused it. What would it hurt to leave a bunch of plastic eggs in the nests for a few months? She's still sitting on them today (as if she wouldn't be). I trust her to be a good broody, since all she does is growl at everything right now. At least I know she won't let anyone near her to lay any more eggs under her. I have another EE that wants to sit, but she doesn't stay on the nest very long. She's just a little too "immature" to be ready.

 

[Den in Penn]

Egg stimulated or not, its nice to have one to bring up the next generation.

 

[mommissan]

Egg stimulated or not, its nice to have one to bring up the next generation.

Sure beats a plastic incubator!