How do I Breed Broodiness?

[chasinglights27]

How do you breed broodiness into bantam easter eggers? I have a small flock of easter eggers and they have laid 100s of eggs. But none of the hens seems to want to go broody? What breed should I breed into these chickens to get them to brood?

 

[Bunnylady]

Every once in a while, I'll see someone post about a broody EE hen, but I've never had an EE that showed the slightest interest in brooding. IME, the broodiest birds are Silkies, followed closely by Bantam Cochins.

 

[centrarchid]

How many eggs are being allowed to build up in a given nest?

 

[1muttsfan]

Since hens that go broody often lay fewer eggs, most people are not looking to increase it. Instead, just get yourself a few silkies or cochins and let them do the work. Outbreeding will very likely negatively affect egg color and type.

 

[centrarchid]

Basic biology of broodiness appears to be overlooked. For breeds prone to typical broodiness, under normal conditions a hen will not brood until clutch gets some number of eggs built up in nest. As season progresses hen may require fewer or no eggs to go broody. Latter situation is not natural and typical of hyper-broody breeds like silkies and cochens.

 

[chasinglights27]

I don't remove the eggs and they usually build up to at leats 16 a nest. I added a blue bantam orpington hen into the pen. Hopfully her chicks will have a beard and go broody?

 

[centrarchid]

Consider backing off on feed with hens filling out clutch as such may promote broodiness. My hens that are heavily fed tend to to produce larger clutches before committing to incubation. Under natural conditions where food is more difficult to come by the hens tend to exhaust fat reserves as they set a clutch and weight really takes a nose dive one they start brooding.

 

[chasinglights27]

Consider backing off on feed with hens filling out clutch as such may promote broodiness. My hens that are heavily fed tend to to produce larger clutches before committing to incubation. Under natural conditions where food is more difficult to come by the hens tend to exhaust fat reserves as they set a clutch and weight really takes a nose dive one they start brooding.

I will try that, hopefully that works. Im willing to try anything to make my girls go broody.

 

[angelbabyamy]

Try breeding with Black Copper Marans and get some Olive Eggers. All 6 of my Marans are broody right now! I thought they were not supposed to be a broody type of chicken, but they are the broodiest of all my hens.

 

[chasinglights27]

I thought about it, but then my bantam roo might not be able to mount and then they won't be bantam anymore.