Can you make a hen go broody?

[sourland]

Not true in the slightest. If it were that simple, all the hatcheries would do it.

Fact.

 

[ChickenGirl555]

This is why my main chicken lady friend keeps a blue cochin hen, a splash cochin hen and a bantam partridge cochin hen.
One of them is pretty much guaranteed to be broody from March-November. (We live in NH)
With neighbors who primarily have EEs, leghorns and mixes of other breeds, she's always volunteering her ladies for setting duty.
Plus feathered feet are the bomb.
She also had a broody Buff Orp and a Silkie/Barred Rock mutt too, but they're nothing like the Cochins.

hmmm...so are cochins good moms? We might have a cochin or at least a cochin mix. (One of our chicks we bought, currently being raised in the brooder box)

 

[ChickenGirl555]

hmmm...so are cochins good moms? We might have a cochin or at least a cochin mix. (One of our chicks we bought, currently being raised in the brooder box)

She is the black one:

 

[junebuggena]

She is the black one:View attachment 1181368

That's not a Cochin mix. Shape is way off, even for a young chick. Most likely a Polish/Silkie cross. I see extra toes.

 

[ChickenGirl555]

No way of knowing. First time broodies are a bit of a gamble. Not every broody is great at sitting the full 21 days. And some broody hens are terrible mothers once chicks hatch. Then there is the added complication of the eggs being shipped, which further decreases the odds of a successful hatch.

This is a paragraph from the site we may buy our eggs from:
Will my eggs arrive intact?
My Pet Chicken absolutely guarantees that the fertile hatching eggs you order from us will arrive intact and ready for incubation. If any eggs for which you have paid arrive cracked or broken, we will refund, or reship them in the case of 50% or more of the eggs being damaged. Please contact us within 48 hours of receiving damaged eggs to report the issue, and provide photos of the damage, if possible.

So at least they will provide us with more eggs or our money back. So really all I'm worried about is how the mother handles them.

 

[ChickenGirl555]

That's not a Cochin mix. Shape is way off, even for a young chick. Most likely a Polish/Silkie cross. I see extra toes.

Wait, really? I love polish and silkies!! As long as she's a pullet we're not getting rid of her. We didn't actually know what she was when we got her (from a petting farm) so we didn't really care what breed she came out as, as long as she was a girl! Hooray!

 

[ScottandSam]

This is a paragraph from the site we may buy our eggs from:
Will my eggs arrive intact?
My Pet Chicken absolutely guarantees that the fertile hatching eggs you order from us will arrive intact and ready for incubation. If any eggs for which you have paid arrive cracked or broken, we will refund, or reship them in the case of 50% or more of the eggs being damaged. Please contact us within 48 hours of receiving damaged eggs to report the issue, and provide photos of the damage, if possible.

So at least they will provide us with more eggs or our money back. So really all I'm worried about is how the mother handles them.

That is just concerning shipping. And shipped eggs are a gamble. They can be not broken but scrambled. I have seen that a lot with shipped eggs.
I would wait to order till your hen goes broody or order chicks or even a incubator.
Scott

 

[junebuggena]

This is a paragraph from the site we may buy our eggs from:
Will my eggs arrive intact?
My Pet Chicken absolutely guarantees that the fertile hatching eggs you order from us will arrive intact and ready for incubation. If any eggs for which you have paid arrive cracked or broken, we will refund, or reship them in the case of 50% or more of the eggs being damaged. Please contact us within 48 hours of receiving damaged eggs to report the issue, and provide photos of the damage, if possible.

So at least they will provide us with more eggs or our money back. So really all I'm worried about is how the mother handles them.

Shipped eggs may arrive intact, but there is no guarantee that they will hatch. The vibrations during transit can scramble yolks or displace the air cells. Shipped eggs typically have much lower hatch rate.

 

[Lordfeint]

Her cochins are very reliable moms.
She prefers to use the silkie/rock girl if she's broody at the time though, because she's fantastic.
You haven't had as good a laugh as you will watching a little poofy chicken scolding 3 ducklings who just waded into a kiddie pool.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Ok, well it was just something I read. I kind of doubted it too. I will get rid of any cockerels I get, I can't have any because of the noise, and chance of breeding. We only want the chickens for eggs and show chickens.

Roosters are quieter than dogs, motorcycles, lawnmowers, weedeaters, etc.. Breeding doesn't affect the eggs for consumption.

Actually, if you raise the temp by a degree, all the roosters will die in their shells.

Could you please cite the research that shows that result? Thanks.