Hen not broody? Or am I just impatient??

[kobesmom81]

We put Mama, our black hen (i'm not sure how old, she was rescued) in the coop with my favorite roo, Elvis in hopes for some grandchicks. They get along fine and after a few days she started laying eggs finally! First it was one every other day and then she started everyday. Now she has seven eggs but she is not sitting on them! I'm pretty sure she has hatched eggs before because when we found her she had 2 babies with her and one looks just like her. Are there not enough eggs for her to start sitting on them? Or are they not fertile and she knows it? Do we need to take Elvis out? I really want her to hatch her eggs on her own instead of incubating them but if I have to incubate I will. Does anybody know what we should do? I am a first time chicken mom and I don't know what to do! All I want is grandchicks!!

 

[ibpboo]

The eggs are probably fertile. Not sure how or if its possible to make a hen go broody. Hopefully she will real soon for you! What kind of hen is she?

 

[silkiechicken]

Well, some birds go broody and some birds will never go broody. Usually they won't set on eggs in the winter but there are always exceptions. I say go ahead take and eat up the older eggs and wait till she goes broody to set them out for her.

 

[ibpboo]

None of my RIR's or BR have ever gone broody, nor has my EE. But my silkie goes broody, and now she is broody again. Problem is, I have no fertilized eggs for her.

I wish I had some silkie eggs for her. Some one has a white banty rooster, but now she is not laying so it probably wouldn't do any good to breed her. Do not know what kind of rooster, but it is white and little just like my silkie.

 

[kobesmom81]

I have 2 Silkies just in case this ever happened. Problem is, they are 8 and 11 weeks old! I'm not sure they could even cover one egg enough to keep it warm!

I was trying to find a good picture of mama but this is the best I can find at the moment. Guess its time for another chicken photo shoot! I don't know what breed she is. Actually, other than the silkies I don't know what anyone is. They were all resuced from a house that was forclosed on and they were abandoned.

I need better pictures!

 

[Omran]

Hello there, you will be able to tell if your hen is broody or not, so I will wait because no one can let her sit if she is not ready, I am also hopping to get a broody hen next spring,I have 12 hens and I really will be so happy to see baby chicks.
good luck
Omran.

 

[ibpboo]

My silkie hen is broody right now and the other chickens lay their eggs under her and she had 6 of them covered very well, and they are large eggs from RIR's!!

 

[dancingbear]

Most hens will not brood in fall or winter. There are exceptions, but those are fairly rare.

You cannot make a hen get broody. Broodiness is triggered by hormones. The hormones are triggered by several factors, body temperature, length of day, diet, weather, and is strongly influenced by what breed the hen is. Some breeds will not brood at all. Some individual hens are fanatics and will brood if they even see a nest of eggs, anytime, (silkies are likely to do this, as are some bantams, dark Cornish, and light Brahma, and I'm sure there are others) but this is not the norm.

Right now, it's moulting season, more or less, depending somewhat on your location and climate. Hens seldom brood while moulting.

Hens will lay eggs and brood (or not) whether they have access to a rooster or not. If there is no rooster, they will still lay eggs and may go broody, but the eggs will not be fertile and will not hatch.

Some hens that brood, don't brood every year. Some will brood several times a year.

 

[kobesmom81]

I guess into the incubator they will go. Maybe I will give my silkie one and see what she does. She is still young but she was kinda funny around the younger silkie for a while. Pecking and screaming at me and stuff when I tried to pick up the younger one.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

8 and 11 weeks old is probably too young for a silkie to go broody. They need to start laying before they go broody. i would go ahead and incubate them if i were you.