can u just make a hen go broody

[mom wewantchicks!]

we where hoping our silkies could be our incubators,they do not have a roo so we take out the eggs everyday.they are never sitting on them and dont care if we come and go. i was talking to a man who has a frizzle roo,he seems to think after having a roo with them i should just leave the eggs,and the hens will get the idea and go broody. i didnt think it worked like that. can anyone enlighten me

 

[Chicken D's mom]

If you have a roo, and leave the eggs, they should go broody.
My hen won't go broody until she has exactly 10 eggs.

 

[mom wewantchicks!]

so if i just leave the eggs in there,even if she is showing no interest,she should go broody. i think it is still a little cold for that but i may try it in the spring

 

[juliecox]

You can get fake eggs at a feed store, and leave those in the nest. Once the eggs have been in the nest a few days, someone's likely to start sitting on them. You do need a roo if you want the Silkies to hatch their own eggs (obviously) but if you're planning on putting other fertile eggs under them, they don't need a roo just to go broody. I don't have a roo, and my Australorp loves to go broody. I got a Silkie intending for her to be the broody, but she always gets kicked out of the nests! XD

 

[Sock Puppet]

I had golfballs in the nest and mine went broody on those

 

[Chicken D's mom]

I have a hen who hatched one fertile egg from another hen and the rest of her own eggs were infertile. I took her eggs away and gave her a half an ear of corn and she sat on that!!

 

[Chickens14]

Chicken D's mom :

I have a hen who hatched one fertile egg from another hen and the rest of her own eggs were infertile. I took her eggs away and gave her a half an ear of corn and she sat on that!!

 

[Chickens14]

Table pingpong balls are alittle softer then golfballs... I bought them at target for $1.50 for 6...
Good luck

 

[crittergal]

I got some chicks last spring, some of which were Buff Orpingtons, and I had one of them go broody on a nest that just had one wooden egg in it - and she wasn't even a year old yet! I am hoping at least one of them will go broody this spring, to hatch some eggs for me

 

[mom wewantchicks!]

thanks for all the replies. my intention for the silkies was to use them as broodies and put some of our fertile eggs under them. then i meet a guy at the feed store and he has an extra frizzle roo,he was wanted to give him to me in exchange for some of the fertile eggs. he didnt seem to think i should quarintine him,but we only have 4 silkies,they are my dd babies and i couldnt have anything happen to them. so if we get him it will definately be later in the spring probably even the summer before we even try!