Broodiness... Is it "contagious"???!!!

[19hhbelgian]

I have 4 black australorps. One went broody about a month ago, and is still in her nest on a new set of eggs I got for her. She refuses to give up even after she hatched out 4 chicks from the 1st batch! Now today, another one of my australorps was in the nesting box. I didn't think anything of it until tonight when I went to check on them one last time. She was still in the box! I went in the coop, and went to touch her, and boy did I get heck! A look to kill, and grumpy as ever! She's definately not going to be as easy to deal with as my other girl! I gave her some eggs from under my other broody (since she was sitting on 24 eggs! (ordered 12 & got 24

!!!! Imagine my surprise when I got that box!!) I guess my ? is can being broody rub off on other hens... Sorry if this is a goofy question

, but I was wondering

I didn't realize australorps were a setting type bird...

 

[KellyHM]

I don't know if it really rubs off or not, but it sure seems like it! I started with 2 broodies about 6 weeks ago, another one 4 weeks ago, 2 more 2 weeks ago, and another one 3 days ago.

 

[swedishfish]

My chickies will brood together all the time. I think maybe sometimes they get jealous. Most of the time I will have 2-3 share a nest and sit at the same time, or one will go right after another...It does rub off. and 2009 is the year of the broodies.

 

[Judy]

Henderson's says Australorps and a great brooder or annoyingly too frequent brooder. I have one mature one who has never gone broody.

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html