Broody

[Plaf222]

I can't get my hens to go broody?

 

[SueT]

Welcome to BYC! Not all breeds go broody. Many never do. What kinds do you have? What age are they?

 

[DobieLover]

I can't get my hens to go broody?

Be careful what you wish for! I can't STOP my hens from going broody. It seems I've always got one in the broody breaker. If they had things their way, there would be a flock of a thousand chickens roaming around up here.
I've been told that the more "natural" the chicken keeping arrangement you provide, the more likely the hens are to go broody.

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

You can’t make a hen go broody, unfortunately......Some breeds go broody more often. I have the Opposite problem...I have 5 currently broody and 1 just hatched a clutch. I swear, it’s contagious! Lol!

 

[DobieLover]

I swear, it’s contagious!

It IS!!

 

[The Happster]

I find it sometimes works to leave eggs in the nesting box. But breed and personality come into it a whole lot.
My Orps and Sussex seem to be extremely broody.

 

[The Happster]

You can’t make a hen go broody, unfortunately......Some breeds go broody more often. I have the Opposite problem...I have 5 currently broody and 1 just hatched a clutch. I swear, it’s contagious! Lol!

Absolutely....I had one hen go broody too, she hatched one chick, and within a week I had three more piled into one egg box.
They were like a blanket with three heads.

 

[Trish1974]

I find it sometimes works to leave eggs in the nesting box.

X2. This always works for me, but I have Araucanas which are a very broody breed.

 

[WallyG74]

I had fake ceramic eggs in each nest to encourage them to use every nest and not just the first one. I took them all out because I was afraid I was encouraging broodiness instead.