How to get a hen Broody?

[Bigbear4x43]

Are Rhode Island Reds Broody Hens

 

[Judy]

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Occasionally, but they are bred for meat and eggs (well, hatchery stock is.) The article in post #9 tells broody breeds.

 

[Southernbelle]

I have Silkie hens that go broody a few at a time all year round. If you really want broodies (and I love them!) then I'd add a few Silkie hens (or other broody breed) to your group. Broodiness is hormonal, so you can't really induce it in a hen who has had the broody hormone bred out of them, like the production breeds.

I have several roosters that keep my hens' eggs fertile, so usually just give them some of my eggs to hatch. You could also buy fertile hatching eggs and have them mailed to you if you don't want to keep a rooster yourself.

Generally, a broody can handle about 12 eggs of the same size she lays. One of my Silkies (being a bantam) can handle 12 bantum eggs or 6 standard eggs.

I often seperate my broodies from the rest of the flock to keep the other hens from bothering her or laying more eggs in her nest. Sometimes I let her brood in the main pen if she's happy there.

A broody will sit on her eggs all day, every day for 3 weeks straight. You can tell you have one because she just sits there, in a sort-of trance. She only gets up once a day to eat and she sleeps on the nest.

I always let the broody hen raise her own chicks. It's her reward for all the hard work and she does a much better job for them than we can. Even in the middle of winter I leave the babies with their mothers in my unheated barn and they did beautifully!

Spring is the best time of year for chicks, but my broodies brood all year long and I always let them. I think I got all your questions - Welcome to BYC!

 

[thepetpaw]

I have an ameraucana that is broody.....you never know which birds will go broody! My best broody girls is a black sex link...I think she is really just lazy - she would rather sit on eggs that do anything else....none of my beautiful blue giant cochins have gone broody!

 

[Webfoot]

Just for the sake of clarification, a cockerel is a male chicken that is less than one year of age, and a rooster is more than one year of age.

Webfoot

 

[chicken-keeper]

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Wow thanks great post ! Most information i needed i got.,...... is there anyway i can rep you?

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ok thanks for all the help...........

 

[joebryant]

With a silkie, just sneeze real loud, and she'll go broody.

 

[warmfuzzies]

I really need some silkies...

 

[LyonFuzz]

Get yourself a silky hen and let her at it! Mine stole my mille fleur's eggs and sat on them until they hatched. Then she proved to be an eggcellent momma to them

 

[2468Chickensrgr8]

I think I want to get a silkie hen.....Do I ? ......then I'll have two little mama"s.... Watching for chicks to hatch is like waiting for Christmas morning as a kid....ever see a 43 year old woman run around with Glee about baby chicks hatching....what a sight ....even the big Harley guys melt with a baby chick in their hands....hee hee hee !!! Dont tell them I said that....I'll have to show you proof someday...