Can I make a hen go broody?

[Farmgirl16]

can I encourage one of my hens to go broody

 

[Farmgirl16]

?

 

[PoppasGrill]

Talk to her nicely , maybe a little fermented feed. And flowers…er..NM
Think it’s just when she’s ready, I know you can make them un broody by moving them off the eggs and putting them off .
Don’t know of a way to make them broody.

 

[BDutch]

Little chance during the winter.
Do you have hens that are known to get broody? Then it will probably be easy to get one broody in spring.

If you lay a clutch of fake eggs in a nest one or even more probably will go broody within a week or two.
Best spot is near to the floor where a hen can sit quietly without disturbances of the other hens.

Edited the time it takes with my hens.

 

[fluffycrow]

Depends on what you mean by "make". Try to encourage? Sure, have safe, clean, nest boxes that do not get too much sun, and let them collect their eggs. A failsafe way to make them go broody? No. What breeds do you have?

 

[BobStuart]

You can’t make them broody

 

[BDutch]

Fluffycrow is right that the hens collect their own eggs in the period before getting seriously broody.

I like to control the time the eggs are brooded to prevent a staggered hatch. Thats why I give them recognisable fake eggs. If they sit tight on the eggs I swop the fake eggs with marked hatching eggs..

 

[BDutch]

You can’t make them broody

No, right, but you can encourage most old heritage breeds to become broody.

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

You can encourage hens to go broody, but you can never force them to. Providing safe, clean and comfortable nesting boxes encourages hens to lay in them, and if you let the hen lay a clutch or if you put fake eggs in the one nesting box, it may encourage the hen to become broody when she sees the opportunity to incubate. Breed matters too, because some breeds tend toward broodiness and some almost never brood.

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

What if you try to make them bored so they begin to sit.

That won't work. The hen has to decide for herself if she wants to brood, it's not a thing you can force upon them.