First Spring With Chickens

[Prickles7]

It's my first spring with my 6 chickens, 1 duck and a rooster named Jack. It's still very cold and I am getting a regular supply of eggs like normal...I've seen Jack mating the girls a few times but nothing has happened. I would love if at least one of the girls went broody . Am I doing something wrong ...? Does anyone else have the same problem, or a solution maybe..?

 

[cluckcluckluke]

There is nothing really you can do to "make" a hen broody. You will just have to wait. You could try leaving 1 egg a day in a nest for about a week, this is what I did and got a broody in 9 days of leaving 1-2 eggs a day in a nest. If after 1 week you don't get a broody and you want to keep trying switch to dummy eggs or golf ball there wise the eggs will go off and explode leaving you with a horrible mess to clean up.

What breed of chickens do you have?


I found this a very interesting and easy site to read. It has 5 parts to it but each part is fairly small so not a difficult, loooong read.
http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Broody-Hens-1.html


Good Luck with it all!

 

[Prickles7]

Yeah thanks, I'll give it a go i just think they're not interested in the maternal role.... I have a copper star, a maran, a RIR, a bluebelle (shes a gorgeous colour) , two welsummers (one's a rooster) and a khaki duck. We had more but my neighbours dog got them .. do you know if the temp. effects the broodiness cause I live in Ireland...

 

[Prickles7]

Yeah thanks, I'll give it a go i just think they're not interested in the maternal role.... I have a copper star, a maran, a RIR, a bluebelle (shes a gorgeous colour) , two welsummers (one's a rooster) and a khaki duck. We had more but my neighbours dog got them .. do you know if the temp. effects the broodiness cause I live in Ireland...