Can you force a hen to go broody?

[Serina81]

Is there any way to force or encourage a hen to go broody? I have a dozen hatching eggs and my incubator isn't working

 

[Elite Silkies]

Put some golf balls in her nest and see if you can try to get her to go broody. No way to force them though.

 

[Kittymomma]

Nio, not really. What breed(s) is your hen? Some are more prone to broodiness then others.

 

[Serina81]

I have javas, easter eggers, rhode island reds, salmon faverolles and a frizzle cochin.

 

[Scott]

Quote:
If you can get one of your hens to go broody, my bet is on the cochin. Give her some dummy eggs, she should take to them in a day or two.

From my web site:

How do you get my hen to go broody (i.e. hatch and raise a clutch of eggs)?

As long as they have available eggs to sit on, a hen will become broody at her own discretion. I usually let a few dummy eggs gather up in a nest box and a hen ends up sitting on them in a matter of days. I then place the eggs I want hatched under the hen. However, we keep cochin bantams which are notorious for being frequently broody. Some breeds, such as production leghorns, aren't inclined to broodiness at all. There are several variables that play a role in broodiness such as the breed, health, and age of the bird. Besides letting some eggs pile up or offering plastic eggs, there is no way to force a hen into broodiness. Nature will just have to kick in.​

 

[Country Heart]

Chicken hormones?

 

[prncssprplfrog]

I read a post on here somewhere that whenever they give their hens oyster shells- they seem to go broody. I don't know if it's a coincidence or not.