Can you make a hen go broody?

[stone_family3]

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I have a white cochin (hasn't laid an egg yet)
two EEs
one New Hampshire (previous owner banded her in the spring because she was broody and hatched, he then said he had to break her one other time this summer)
Two Banties
I have a Black Austrolorp
I have a Black Sexlink

Sounds like you have a pretty good chance. "Fake Eggs" are available on eBay and you could leave them there for your chicken to "practice". I have also heard that lots of calcium in their diet provides the nutritional elements that help them produce that hormone that makes them broody. Look for all the advice that says--"do (such and such) so that your hen won't go broody" and then do the opposite!!

Good luck.

LOL, well my girls get a lot of calcium. About a cup of yogurt a day plus lots of fresh greens. I think I saw some fake wooden eggs at the hobby store for $1 each. I'm going to pick a few up and put them in the nesting boxes.

 

[Ksane]

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How long did it take your cochin's to start laying? My girl is 7 months now, her comb has been the same shade of red since I got her.

Mine are right about 7 months and just started laying last week. I didn't expect them to start in the dead of winter but they fooled me.

 

[evenstargirl]

My Silkie hen is sitting on eggs from several other hens, including her own. The other hens were not broody, but my Silkie lady was. Yay! I don't think you can make a hen go broody. From what I have seen from my own, it's either there or it isn't.

 

[stormylady]

Out of the breeds you listed I would go with Cochins too, however it may behoove ya to get a Silkie Hen, I have 8 adult Silkie Hens and 7 were broody most of last year , either setting eggs or raising chicks, and then right back to setting again after about 8 weeks of raising the chicks I finially took all the eggs away and they continued to sit on there little imaginary eggs! Now ,I have, thanks to their great broodiness 3 POL pullets, I think something like 8 little pullets silkiex's and silkies and 4 little Roos I think . I have 5 LF Cochins and I think 4 or 5 Cochin mixes and not a single one has gone broody, maybe the Cochin Banties do better I dont know.

Sandy

I think I read on a post somewhere on here that said if you let the eggs build up in the nests somebody will go broody. However I'm not willing to waste all those delishous eggs so that somebody might go broody. LOL So I have no personal knowledge that can or will happen.

 

[partsRheavy]

She laid eggs in a location where they were ignored for days at a time.

Her hobby during Fall was stealing cat food from the kitty dish....she could be annoying about it to the point of driving the cats away....

 

[johndjones]

I can say that cochins are probably the broodiest chickens I have ever had, although my orphingtons are running a close second. Seems like in the spring I always have one or two stuck in a cage somewhere away from the laying nest. Always takes them a few days but they will eventually break. My grandmother used to stick a broody hen under a bushel basket and leave her for three days with no food or water...seems kinda cruel but it seemed to work. I don't think you can trick a hen into becoming broody either. Like someone said; it's either there or it's not. Letting the eggs build up will just get you some rotten eggs or snakes if you don't have hens predisposed to setting. I've had chickens to take the nest then just forget what they were about in a couple days...just leaving the eggs lying there. The ones that have done that NEVER stuck to it...always false broodiness I guess. A little story....several years ago I had to leave my place for a couple of weeks.....mid may, bad time to leave chickens unattended...anyway, I had this guy who was supposed to gather the eggs everyday. I told him whatever you do don't leave ANY eggs in the nests. I had about fiftenn silver laced wyandottes. Anyway, when I got home there were chickens setting on top of chickens..they were all setting and the nests were full of eggs. Some eggs had been broken in each nest so it stunk to high heaven. I cleaned it up best I could and left some hens setting and caged the others. Chicks started hatching in a couple of the nest, but, by that time, we had packed our stuff and were moving to Mississippi. I just took the ones that were hatched and chunked the others...a nasty mess that was....

 

[Dead Rabbit]

to answer your question. i have been told by a couple of people who are in the know, that you can make a hen go broody quicker. i cant personally vouch for it, b/c i never tried it. but you take a naturally broody hen, silkie and games are what im experienced with,,,pen them up to where they are in a small coop, a 4x4 or even 3X3 pen. give them a nest box, let them lay a clutch of eggs. while they are penned up away from every one else, feed them nothing but whole corn. the whole corn creates alot of natural heat in fowl. this feeding of corn will encourage an already naturally broody hen to set. ive never had problems with hens being broody, silkies are the worst for it. so ive never tried a diet of nothng but corn. but it works for others. so id say try it if you must.

as for fake eggs. old golf balls work wonders. they work great at fooling the hens. i used to use them all the time.

 

[Dead Rabbit]

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mighty fine looking himalayan cat. i really like these types. persians and himly....................i like-eee!!