Can you make a hen go broody?

[ChickenGirl555]

Tired, unlikely. But yes, some just "consider" going broody and give up very quickly.

Ok. I'm sorry for so many questions, but then will another one maybe take over if she sees the eggs unattended? Will she go broody?

 

[junebuggena]

Ok. I'm sorry for so many questions, but then will another one maybe take over if she sees the eggs unattended? Will she go broody?

Leaving a pile of eggs sitting out is just a waste of perfectly good eggs. And it's not going to make them brood. When all 15 of my hens are laying, that's at least 12 eggs at the end of the day sitting in the favored spot, and has no affect on my broody-prone girls. A properly broody hen will not care if there is anything to sit on or not.

 

[Kiki]

You will know if you ever have a hen go broody you won't have to guess.
There are some great articles here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/learning-center.11/

You should probably spend some time reading through them so you can learn a few things.

 

[tomfromsc]

I'm new to this and asked the same question my broody hen started acting funny two weeks before she started sitting I had collected the eggs daily but soon as my 4 girls got on the same schedule and all laid the same day she jumped on the 4 eggs they have all been laying in the same box for awhile so possible two may be hers the next am there were 3 more egg's in the box nextdoor so I put them under her also I could tell she wanted to sit cause she stayed in the coop alot she is my oldest hen and two of the others are her daughters

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I'm new to this and asked the same question my broody hen started acting funny two weeks before she started sitting I had collected the eggs daily but soon as my 4 girls got on the same schedule and all laid the same day she jumped on the 4 eggs they have all been laying in the same box for awhile so possible two may be hers the next am there were 3 more egg's in the box nextdoor so I put them under her also I could tell she wanted to sit cause she stayed in the coop alot she is my oldest hen and two of the others are her daughters

Mark all the eggs under her now and resist the temptation to add more. Staggered hatches don't work with setting hens.
If she isn't sitting on the eggs 23+ hours a day, she isn't committed. It isn't sufficient to stay in the coop, she needs to be on the eggs the whole time.

 

[SusanMc]

It is perhaps more common in April/May but I've had hens go broody from March to November.

Hello members
hope everyone is well. It’s almost spring, and I am itching for some chicks. I have I order for a rooster and about six hens, plus I want a few more hens to bring up the numbers after last falls weasel attack. I have an Easter Egger rooster, and one other.
I have lots of questions to ask regarding genetics, and identifying my brown rooster. But I will find the appropriate thread to do it.
I am hoping that by leaving some eggs in the nesting box my broody hen will begin to set soon. Has that worked for anyone ?
Susan

 

[aart]

I am hoping that by leaving some eggs in the nesting box my broody hen will begin to set soon. Has that worked for anyone ?

You can try, but hormones are what makes a chicken go broody.
If you try this, use fake eggs not real ones.

 

[Sally PB]

I've had fake eggs in the nesting box since about two weeks before my girls started laying. Nobody's gone broody yet.

 

[SusanMc]

You can try, but hormones are what makes a chicken go broody.
If you try this, use fake eggs not real ones.

 

[SusanMc]

Thanks for the response. is the increasing daylight hours that trigger the hormonal response? Something else ?
Susan