How can I get a hen to go Broody

[MdChipmunk]

Hi y'all. I have a Coop with 27 hens (Dark Brahma, RIR, Barred Rock, Amerucana, and Amber Links). They are all a year old or close to it. I have 1 Bielefelder (not sure on spelling) Rooster who is also a year old. I started leaving a few eggs in the nest box's and marking them (so I knew which were laid when I gathered eggs for the day, and which to leave in the nest box). They've been in there for about a week now, and no one is showing interest in sitting on them. Is there a way to entise one of them to go broody and start sitting? Am I doing this too early in the year. Should I wait until it's a little warmer weather (Live in Maryland)? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Debbie292d]

Get a silkie.

Well, seriously, leaving them eggs to sit on isn't even necessary as my hens would sit on concrete to be broody. There is no worse or better time from what I've gathered. You could keep leaving fake eggs to see and it might help.

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

Hi y'all. I have a Coop with 27 hens (Dark Brahma, RIR, Barred Rock, Amerucana, and Amber Links). They are all a year old or close to it. I have 1 Bielefelder (not sure on spelling) Rooster who is also a year old. I started leaving a few eggs in the nest box's and marking them (so I knew which were laid when I gathered eggs for the day, and which to leave in the nest box). They've been in there for about a week now, and no one is showing interest in sitting on them. Is there a way to entise one of them to go broody and start sitting? Am I doing this too early in the year. Should I wait until it's a little warmer weather (Live in Maryland)? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Silkie chickens are known for going broody, but other than that, it’s all up to the breed of bird, as well as the individual animals hormone levels.

 

[Perris]

I started leaving a few eggs in the nest box's and marking them (so I knew which were laid when I gathered eggs for the day, and which to leave in the nest box)

You could use golfballs as fake eggs instead, then there's no risk of confusion, they won't go off and explode over time, and they will work just as well as a clutch of real eggs to stimulate broodiness.

They've been in there for about a week now, and no one is showing interest in sitting on them

Be patient.

Is there a way to entise one of them to go broody and start sitting?

What you are already doing is the traditional method: leaving a clutch of eggs in a nice clean, dry nest. Locking a preferred hen in on them, also traditional practice, apparently works, but isn't my style. I wait till they choose to go broody.

Am I doing this too early in the year. Should I wait until it's a little warmer weather (Live in Maryland)?

I don't know what the Maryland climate and weather is like, but here my broodies rarely start before late spring, late April/early May, with hatches through the summer, i.e. June, July, August, sometimes September. They instinctively know what's the best time for chicks foraging (mine are out and take the chicks onto grass the day after hatch), with lots of natural insect food around and nice warm weather for chicks.

All my birds are heritage/rare breeds, and there's no breed pattern among them for who goes broody, who doesn't. I don't have Silkies, who have a reputation for broodiness, but also, not often mentioned, lay very few and quite small eggs, so suitable if you want a broody machine but not much use as a layer. Of the breeds you've got, I had an RIR and have an Araucana (which is one of the foundation breeds of the Amerucana), and both have gone broody, and been excellent broodies. Personally I'd avoid using any hen with feathered feet (in general, but especially as a broody).

Good luck! Having a broody raise chicks is the best bit of chicken keeping in my experience.

 

[CloneFly]

Silkies, who have a reputation for broodiness, but also, not often mentioned, lay very few and quite small eggs, so suitable if you want a broody machine but not much use as a layer.

I'm not sure why, but my 2 silkie hens are some of my most prolific layers! (Well, except when they're broody lol.) I get about 5-6 *tiny* eggs from each hen a week.
Are they an anomaly?

 

[McChooky]

I ordered 2 cockerels last spring but my hens haven't gone broody yet(Time is on my side lol)

 

[BDutch]

There are hens that go broody often and hens that rarely get broody. Even my bantam RIR got broody early summer last year. This year I had my first broody about 5-6 days ago. With real spring weather.

Last year I bought chalk and rubber eggs from the toy shop. They only sell them in the period before easter. They just look better than the plastic fake eggs or golf balls.

I wouldn’t lock in a hen either.
Wait till spring. Make the nestbox with the fake eggs like a comfy hiding place (maybe add hay and a curtain). And be patient.

 

[Perris]

I'm not sure why, but my 2 silkie hens are some of my most prolific layers! (Well, except when they're broody lol.) I get about 5-6 *tiny* eggs from each hen a week.
Are they an anomaly?

As I said, I don't have them, so just repeating what I've read/heard. Storey's guide is here
https://archive.org/details/Storeys...lete/page/n161/mode/1up?view=theater&q=silkie
I assume lay rates are calculated for the year, so even if they lay a lot between broody periods, the broody periods are going to have a big impact on annual output of eggs.

 

[wrathsfarm]

Personally I'd avoid using any hen with feathered feet (in general, but especially as a broody).

Could you elaborate on this?
"Especially as a broody", not in general. Your reasons for not liking feathered feet are your own person preference and respected.

 

[WallyG74]

Could you elaborate on this?
"Especially as a broody", not in general. Your reasons for not liking feathered feet are your own person preference and respected.

I’m curious too.