How do I get my hen to go broody?

[Hattie the Hen]

Hi there! I've found that all the Miniature (banty) White Rock hens that I've had in the last 6-7years have gone broody really easily. In fact they seem to do the minute they see 2 eggs in one laying box!!! It's a problem to stop them. I have one who hatched some ducks for my neighbours but when I gave the chicks over to them my hen still sat. As she was in perfect condition and totally stubborn I ordered some Dorking eggs and she sat those, they hatched and she has reared them and layed her FIRST EGG, since last year, YESTERDAY!!!!! So I would certainly say they are great. All mine have been very steady sitters and amazing mothers. I have never had one who abandoned their clutch of eggs or their chicks. They are though extremely possessive so it pays you to have tamed the mother well before she is of age to sit; otherwise she will attack you! Try to buy her from someone who has bred her under a hen--I think this really helps as I've found incubator-bred hens don't make as good mothers!!! SORRY ALL THOSE AVID BATOR FANS OUT THERE!!!! I afraid I'm an old fashioned old lady!!!! Also I just love to watch the whole process and I keep a daily journal of how they behave--so I can compare from year to year---behaviour, progress, number of eggs, illnesses, and my observations. YES ! I KNOW, GET A LIFE !!!! -----But I retired now---SO!!!!!!

 

[gckiddhouse]

hey, that is just my style of crazy! You should see all the data we keep on our chickens and their eggs. We weigh them and graph them and know just who laid when and who did what. We are chicken geeks!

 

[aberfitch]

I can say I incubate the start clutch of my flock and out of that came one of the best broddy / mother hens I will ever have. I absolutely love her. She raised 24!! yes 24 babies and took care of every single one!

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Hello there aberfitch, CONGRATULATIONS!!! What a beautiful group of chicks. Unfortunately I haven't had that kind of experience with bator-raised birds but I.m glad it worked for you. That's the beauty of BYC, So many people, with so many different ways of doing thing but all with an overwhelming love of poultry.

 

[ronniega1]

i am having dificulty in having my silkie hen sit on her eggs i have her in with the rooster she lays them but does not sit on them. when i took out the rooster she still did not sit so i through away the seven eggs she had in her nest, and i am starting over the roo seems to get along with her but there are four new eggs in her nest and she does not sit on them...what to do.............

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Hi ronniega,

Sorry you are having problems getting her to sit her eggs. There are some breeds which just don't, have you checked that out? You might have to get yourself a silkie or one of the other reliable "broody" breeds. There is no way, that I know, of forcing a hen to sit!


Hattie

 

[rancher hicks]

Quote:
I had two Cochin bantam friz's that went broody at less than a year old. Both hatched chicks. I now have a broody Dominique. She's not a nice girl so I left her alone. The others I moved to a private nest. I kept one of the bantam friz's just for that reason. I'm not having much luck with the incu.
Silkies are too small I think. One of my bantam sat on 6 eggs 4 of which were standards and she hatched 2 bantams and 3 standards. Better than me and my incu. Try a standard Cochin hen. Just switch out her eggs for the ones you want. I know this Dominique has two and one ain't hers. Heck I don't even know if they're fertile but now that I think of it what if they don't hatch? I gotta couple of chicks but it's too cold to move them out to the coop. I figure when and if the Dom hatches anything I'll move her then. Maybe sooner.

 

[they'reHISchickens]

Re: having the school project hatch: The school doesn't keep them any longer than a few days. The Extension service around here does the Embryology Project and they provide leghorn eggs. The chicks are less than a week old when they go home with whomever they find to take them and for as much as the kids handle them, the leghorns are still psycho.

 

[5chickenluver7]

I am going to try 92caddy's suggestion tonight! So far she is calm and sitting on her eggs! Hopefully it will work, because she magically became unbroody yesterday when we have hatching eggs arriving on tuesday! EEEKK:/

 

[5chickenluver7]

I tried 92caddy's method. Last night I put my Barred Rock in the nest box and locked her in. Earlier this morning I let her out to eat/drink/go potty and came back about 20 minutes later and she was back in the nest box all puffed up and squawking at me. She is still in there now, so i will still be getting my hatching eggs!