Do older hens often become broody?

[Blackfarms88]

I read this article by Lisa Steele talking about older hens. She says that their eggs are higher quality, have better hatch rates, and that they make better mothers. I was wondering if anyone has experience supporting this. I'm also wondering if traditionally non-broody breeds (rhode island red, white leghorn, etc) possibly go broody with age. The hen mentioned in the article was 9 years old! We are dying to have broody hens! It seems more likely that a little hen raised by a mother and no incubated would have a higher chance of broodiness regardless of breed??

https://www.fresheggsdaily.blog/2018/02/what-do-you-do-when-your-chickens-stop.html?m=1

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It is thought that hens tend to want to raise a family as they get older but I've had everything from newly laying pullets (lots of them) go broody to my oldest hens.
I've had both white and black leghorns go broody. A black raised 5 batches of chicks for me. All the white leghorns were in their first or second year but there were 100 of them so the odds were that there would be broodies in the flock regardless of the breed.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

older hens. She says that their eggs are higher quality, have better hatch rates, and that they make better mothers. I was wondering if anyone has experience supporting this.

Hi there, hope you are enjoying BYC!

That wasn't MY take away from the article you linked. I gather and concur that more mature HENS not pullets WILL overall be better mothers.. mostly due to experience more so than age. The 9 year old hen being discussed was not mentioned as a broody but for her other attributes as a flock leader.

I find the terms "older hens" and "younger hens" to be misleading.. Younger hens are pullets.. yes they CAN have a harder time sticking to a clutch for 21 full day.. but it's relative to so many factors like where the clutch is, weather, etc. And for that reason with regards to broody's a more experienced hen MAY ( and should) be more successful which MAY equate to a better hatch rate for a broody but if the shells are weaker as stated by the article then broken eggs won't hatch.. NOT the same as the eggs themselves having higher hatch-ability or more nutrients. in fact, I have some hard data I will try to find.. Okay, so all the research I find indicates and "older hen" in about 52 weeks in age...
https://www.researchgate.net/public..._Age_on_Hatchability_and_Fertile_Hatchability

Page 16..
https://www.hubbardbreeders.com/media/incubation_guideen__053407700_1525_26062017.pdf

NO.. incubator hatched chicks are NOT less likely to go broody than broody hatched chicks. Broodiness is a hormone thing and it's influenced by genetics.. Some breeds may be broodier than others. Some lines of the same breed may be broodier yet!

I have had some pullets go broody as soon as their 3rd egg.. and every 3rd egg after that! Also had birds wait until their second lay season. Some ladies haven't a broody bone in their body.

Sorry, I'm too distracted by family at the moment to refine and finish this post.. but hope it's fun food for thought!