Help trying to convince hens to go broody

[starrmar006]

I want a broody hen so I can have chicks/ducklings but non of my hens don't even look interested in being broody , I know its a natural thing and the weather/lighting needs to be just right but it has been low 70's and at least 10 hours of light each day and I keep at least 24 eggs in the nesting boxes, am I doing something wrong? of are my hens too old (the majority of my hens are 3 with 5/20 hatched last year)? I need some help !

 

[sylviethecochin]

Confining your chickens to make them go broody doesn't work. Hens aren't too old to go broody; some hens get more broody the older they get.

What breeds do you have? If they're birds like Leghorns and Production Reds (and I suspect that they are, given your egg count) then they're unlikely to go broody.

If you want broodies, I suggest game hens, Cochin bantams, silkies, or heritage birds from a breeder who selects for broodiness.

 

[starrmar006]

sorry my stupid auto correct I meant convince

 

[starrmar006]

I have mostly black copper marans, sexlinks, 1 leghorn who's eggs are too deformed to hatch, 1 buckeye, 2 silkie hens that are not yet laying and some more I can't think of right now

 

[Fishkeeper]

You can't make them go broody. It's a hormone change that domestication has made unpredictable.
If you want chicks, probably the easiest thing to do is just to get yourself an actual incubator. Those start working every time you plug them in, and they don't decide to up and leave.

Also, if you have 24 un-incubated eggs in every nesting box, they're gonna rot and burst.

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

You can try to encourage broodiness but you can’t force them. Try leaving ceramic eggs in a nest box. Most production breeds have had the broodiness bees out of them.

 

[starrmar006]

You can't make them go broody. It's a hormone change that domestication has made unpredictable.
If you want chicks, probably the easiest thing to do is just to get yourself an actual incubator. Those start working every time you plug them in, and they don't decide to up and leave.

Also, if you have 24 un-incubated eggs in every nesting box, they're gonna rot and burst.

I'm fine with incubating eggs, I have a nice incubator that I use with a broody hen, its just rasing the chick is the hard part... It's just soo much easier with a broody hen

 

[starrmar006]

You can try to encourage broodiness but you can’t force them. Try leaving ceramic eggs in a nest box. Most production breeds have had the broodiness bees out of them.

I've tried ceramic eggs they just end up getting mistaken for a real egg even thought I mark them or too poopy for some reason and I have to bring them inside and wash them. The dogs end up getting them and it's just better to go with real eggs

 

[starrmar006]

You can't make them go broody. It's a hormone change that domestication has made unpredictable.
If you want chicks, probably the easiest thing to do is just to get yourself an actual incubator. Those start working every time you plug them in, and they don't decide to up and leave.

Also, if you have 24 un-incubated eggs in every nesting box, they're gonna rot and burst.

I have been getting 14 eggs a day so they only end up in the nesting boxes for about a day, I havn't had one rot yet, hopefully I don't

 

[Wolfefarmyard]

The breeds that you have are not likely to go broody, they were bred for production. Therefore their broodiness trait has been bred out of them. Maybe one of your silkies will eventually go broody once they begin to lay.