I FINALLY got my cochin hen that I have been wanting. I am planning on setting her up a nice private brood-house. 3x3 with a covered cat litter box as her nest. I plan on putting a few golf balls in the nest....what else can I do to encourage her to start sitting?
It's a hormonal thing so if the hormones aren't there it probably won't happen. With some hens tho if they're on the verge of going broody not collecting the eggs for a few days can help push her in that direction.
Think of the things that discourage broodiness - drafts, bright light, etc.. I always leave plastic eater eggs and golf balls in the nest boxes. Make sure they aren't real skinny, because if they sit and don't have much flesh on them, they can starve from their own unwillingness to leave their eggs (unless you have food and water where they are setting, which is good). But when it comes down to it, only the hen can "make" herself go broody.