Can old hens who stopped laying get broody?

[BDutch]

I have 3 old hens (7-8 years old) who don’t lay much eggs anymore. One of them is broody. And it made me wonder.

Can old hens who stopped laying get broody?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I think so. They will definitely adopt chicks and if eggs collect in a nest, old hens may decide to raise a family even if their personal plumbing quit functioning.

 

[BDutch]

I think so. They will definitely adopt chicks and if eggs collect in a nest, old hens may decide to raise a family even if their personal plumbing quit functioning.

I thought a hen only accept chicks if she is broody and sits on eggs for at least a few days.

Did you have such an experience of a old not laying hen adopting chicks yourself?

 

[SilverBirds]

Last year one of my old hens went broody. She is 7-9 years so rarely lays any eggs. She collected five eggs from other hens. Four of the eggs hatched and she had really good mother instincts. Sadly, I did not have a big enough space to keep her and the chicks so I gave them to a bantam to raise. Even after I took the chicks away, she still pretended she had them. She is also a golden comet which very rarely go broody so I was very surprised at how good her mother instinct was.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I thought a hen only accept chicks if she is broody and sits on eggs for at least a few days.

Did you have such an experience of a old not laying hen adopting chicks yourself?

Yes. I once had a mature flock living in a building I needed to use as a brooder house. I moved them to another building but in the process of moving them, I put 28 chicks of varying ages into a pen in the brooder house. Rather than move with the other members of her flock, she jumped/flew into the pen with the chicks and proceeded to mother them all.
Of course she couldn't cover 28 chicks ranging from a week to 6 weeks, but she did her best. It was quite a sight.
I once even had a 10 week old cockerel adopt four 3 day old chicks.

 

[adstowe]

I have 3 old hens (7-8 years old) who don’t lay much eggs anymore. One of them is broody. And it made me wonder.

Can old hens who stopped laying get broody?

What's there to question? You said you had it happen. I'm confused

 

[sourland]

Yes, if in good health, older non laying hens can/do go broody.

 

[BDutch]

What's there to question? You said you had it happen. I'm confused

This hen still lays some eggs. But I wonder(ed) : Does she stop being broody if she doesn’t lay any egg anymore.

Meantime. Sourland answered my question.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

This hen still lays some eggs. But I wonder(ed) : Does she stop being broody if she doesn’t lay any egg anymore.

Meantime. Sourland answered my question.

I don't really think the two are connected.
A hen will sit if her hormones give her the urge whether eggs are fertile or not, whether she is laying eggs or not, or whether there are eggs or no eggs.

 

[BDutch]

I don't really think the two are connected.
A hen will sit if her hormones give her the urge whether eggs are fertile or not, whether she is laying eggs or not, or whether there are eggs or no eggs.

Maybe there is more to it then just hormones. You are right that broodies don’t bother about fertilised or not.
My hens never go broody in winters though , when they lay no eggs.

As long as they're still laying they can still go broody.

Thanks for the reply. I agree for the chickens that went broody before. But this was not my question.