Hen not brooding

[jetskier506]

in my big pen theres 9 chickens with plenty of room. theres three piles of eggs some about 10 daays old and there are about 25 in all, but no hen takes care of them. like i never see them laying on them. what to do

 

[Impress]

You can't make them go broody, heck, most of them have been bred not to go broody! What kind of chickens do you have?

 

[gryeyes]

What Impress said.

Most folks not familiar with chickens think all hens just naturally sit on eggs and hatch 'em if you don't take 'em from the nest. Not so. There are people who have been keeping chickens for years and never had a hen go broody. Ever.

I have close to 20-some mature pullets and hens, and only four of mine have gone broody, one is on her third "setting" and the three others have brooded a clutch of eggs only once apiece.

 

[jetskier506]

plymouth rocks, reds, leghorns, a broiler hen, golden puffs, game hens, and a speckled suesex

 

[CrestedGirl]

Quote:
x2

 

[Impress]

If I was you, and wanted to try to leave eggs to encourage broodiness, I would buy a pack of golf balls or some kind of fake eggs. (Craft stores sell them, and you can buy them off eBay and such places.) Take those and put them in the nest that you want a girl to go broody in. Then if one does go broody, let her sit on those fake eggs for a week or two to make sure she is serious about it. THEN take eggs you have gathered over that week of her sitting on the fake eggs, and put them all in there at once so they hatch at the same time. Mark them with pencil so if she is out and about your other hens can't sneak eggs into the nest, you can just collect the non-marked ones. With your current method you are just wasting eggs for no reason. Even with a big fat nest of fake eggs, you may never get a girl to go broody, so don't be disappointed if it all comes to nothing.

 

[mstricer]

Quote:
I don't think any of those will go broody. I've had Wyandottes, Jerseys, Spitzhauben, both of my FBCM (they never quit) Orpingtons go broody. Oh yeah Silkies, I don't have any adults, just one little chick, I'm hoping is a girl. Good Luck Michele

 

[AV Brahmas]

Quote:
I have raised almost all of those breeds so here is the lowdown:

Rocks, reds, leghorns, broiler mostly equal non-setting or poor setting with rare exceptions. And please do not send me love notes if you are the person with the rare exception....this is my birds I am talking about.

Game hens usually set.

Golden puff I have no idea.

Speckled Sussex we find about 1 in 10 will set hard. The rest could care less.

Also from experience....birds that do not set are usually the ones laying into winter. Birds that set and brood generally tend to be more seasonal, but there are exceptions there to. I swear the Brahmas would set 10 months out of the year if we let them. Whatever you have going, nothing will make them set if they are not of a mind to.

 

[Impress]

Spckled Sussex sometimes go broody, so if they are lucky, she might. If you want some easy to get broody breeds, get some full sized or bantam cochins, or some silkies, they are broody machines.

 

[NonnasBabies]

Have had Barred Rocks for 3 years and have not had one out of 19 go broody. Get you some Buff Orphingtons, they are relentless in their broodiness!!