Hens have not been broody at all!!!!!!!!!!

[Murphys2009]

I have 2 RIR, 2 EE, 1 Cuckoo Maran, 1 Old English Bantam, 2 Black Racey Mugs(game hens) 2 roos 1 is RIR/buff orp cross, and an EE roo. They have a 20x40 run, 12x12 coop with partisan in center, having nesting boxes on one side and roost on the other. They are also let out to free range about every other day. Since it has been so hot they have pretty much been free ranging the past month.

The story is not one single hen has ever been broody. I have let the eggs pile up in the nesting boxes. At one point there was about 100 eggs in the coop. So I started marking them and throwing the old ones away. Still no one got broody. So after a month or so I threw all the eggs out and started collecting the fresh ones, and that stopped after the fridge had a surplus of eggs. Now the coop has about 80 eggs in it and no one is sitting. My neighbor's hens are hatching off chicks all the time. He has sold about 300 this summer. That's why I have the game hens. My neighbor felt sorry for me and gave them to me guaranteeing they would hatch chicks.

Am I doing something wrong or what????

The reason for my concern is the wife will not allow anymore chicks to be hatched off in the bator, and kept in the house, and I WANT MORE BABIES!!!! LOL

 

[Wynette]

I think the problem is that they are all at MY house, which I refer to as "Murphy living with us" - interesting that your user ID has Murphy in it!

 

[Murphys2009]

Why is that interesting?

 

[Tala]

Move the 'bator to the garage

 

[Mrs. K]

Maybe your day is coming. I asked every day in May, "Please someone go broody." Nothing, I gave in and bought chicks, skunk got them. Thought well, in the fall I will add some pullets. Monday one went broody, Tuesday, her sister joined her!!! Hurray!

I am putting eggs under them tomorrow! mk

 

[burquechick]

I feel your pain. Sometimes they just do NOT want to go broody. I did the same thing earlier this year that you did. Eggs were piling up all over the place. Then I finally decided to give up and start collecting eggs for my bator. Just as I got up to 8 eggs, two of my hens went broody with hardly any eggs out there to sit on! I quickly picked up the 2 or 3 they had (between the 2 hens) and threw the 8 eggs under them and continued to collect eggs for my bator (really wanting babies myself this year). And wouldn't you know it? Another went broody 2 weeks in. Seems like when it rains, it pours! I don't think you're doing anything wrong. Maybe they just don't want to set. I'm only going to leave 6-8 eggs out there at a time in the future though. I don't think anymore than that encourages them more. I also have not been letting my birds free range yet much this year. Mostly because if I let them out, I'd feel guilty about not letting the separated hen and roo out (the birds I'm trying really hard to breed), and if I let those out, it is near impossible to put them back in their separate pen at night instead of the other coop with the rest of the chickens. I actually think it's been helping to "focus the other girls on the mission", so to speak. Maybe you could try that? Also, my girls are all over a year old, so that might help too.... don't know how old those new gamebirds are...

 

[Murphys2009]

Great news!!! I think the hens may have read this thread. Cuckoo Maran is 2 days on the nest. My lil bantam has disappeared and I haven't seen any of her eggs in awhile so I hope she is setting somewhere instead of making a good meal for the hawk.

 

[burquechick]

Congratulations!!!

 

[Murphys2009]

More good news, the bantam hen came to the porch to steal some cat food today, then returned to the fence line that is covered in honey suckle vine. So I am going to see if I cant find her in the morning.

 

[prancie]

I don't think that letting eggs pile up makes anyone go broody. Broodies will sit on nothing and still be broody. I've had 2 this year. I think you did not choose broody breeds.