How often a year do hens go broody?

[BackyardinWales]

I have two girls in the nesting box. My hen has been on eggs (not just the two I marked) for 7 days today, and one of my pullets is on day 2, but she'd tried previously. The other girls seem to have stopped laying too. Is it a seasonal thing? Since this is my first year raising chickens I'm wondering if this will occur every year? My sister told me to have a 'stern word with the girls' as she is the one who eats my eggs lol.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Some hens never do, depends on the breeds. What kinds of chickens do you have? Do you want them to hatch eggs? It takes about 21 days (three weeks) to hatch chicks. Then the mothers will spend another three to six weeks raising the chicks until weaning them. That's a long time to go without eggs, and some hens will go broody again fairly soon.

You can try the following to break your hens of their broodiness:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/broody-breaking-ala-aart.77915/

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Also - if you do want eggs to hatch, take away any fresh eggs daily that other hens lay in her nest, or you'll get a "staggered hatch." This is not good, as the hen will only take care of the chicks that hatch first and abandon the remaining eggs.

 

[SueT]

If you don't want to hatch eggs, you can stop the broodiness by putting the hen in a wire bottom cage for 2-3 days. It will take longer if they've been broody longer.
I've had hens that go broody every month in warm weather, others about 2-3 times a year.

 

[The cheek coop]

I have a crested cream legbar that has went broody twice this summer. My other hens have never been broody though.

 

[Sally PB]

Out of 10 hens, I have only one that has ever gone broody. She pulls that stunt about 3 times a year. I break her every time, as I don't need chicks right now.

Next spring, I might let her hatch some eggs, or give her chicks after she sits for 20-21 days.

 

[BackyardinWales]

I checked the girls today and left them both 2 each. I've also marked the second 2 so I know which ones are being sat on.

I wasn't actually planning to have chicks, or rather I did plan, and my three died or didn't hatch, so I'm not convinced these are even fertile. But, I'll see how these go as the girls left out seem to be getting on great as a flock, which is what I wanted. I'm hoping this will a smoother transition than my raising them myself and then transitioning them out. It's all a learning curve.

 

[FrostRanger]

I'd give them more than 2 each as eggs don't have a 100% hatch rate. Do you have a plan for any cockerels that hatch? Statistically 50% of your hatch will be boys but there's nothing stopping most or all of your chicks from being boys and no, despite what some old wives tales would have you believe there's nothing you can do to skew your odds so you get all girls or mostly girls, it's entirely random chance how many girls you get

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Are they both isolated from each other? How old is the pullet? I have never had a pullet go broody and I'm wondering if she is just trying to figure out how to lay an egg. It might be better to put all the eggs you plan to hatch under the hen because it will be easier to isolate and reintegrate one hen than two-especially if the pullet isn't near the top of the pecking order (which is most likely) she will have trouble defending herself and her chicks. If this is your first time hatching with a broody I would recommend simplifying

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I also agree with @FrostRanger that more than two eggs is a good idea. A full grown hen can cover a dozen eggs easily so with only two she will keep trying to build a bigger clutch. I would put all four under the hen and isolate her. If the pullet is indeed broody they will end up fighting over eggs which will end up in broken eggs