how to make a hen go broody?

[cresent moon poultry]

I have read up on it and I like the idea of raising chickens from a broody hen rather then an incubator. how do I make a hen go broody?


Also are barred rocks good at going broody?

 

[chuckachucka]

There is no way to force it. You can encourage it by leaving dummy eggs in the nest boxes but really it is a hormone triggered thing in their bodies and minds. It is more likely to happen in spring and summer and in certain breeds, but some hens will go broody in the middle of winter sitting on nothing and some will never go broody their entire life. Some hens will only go broody very occasionally but most that are inclined to go broody do it quite regularly.
I'm not sure about barred rocks I'm afraid. Perhaps someone else knows about the broodiness of this breed.

If you really want chicks and don't want to use an incubator you could try getting one hen of a more typically broody breed like silkie or cochin to use for raising chicks. Otherwise it is a waiting game.

 

[Aapomp831]

Get a Bantam hen! They are almost guaranteed to go broody.... mine is my egg hatched, and she is quite the fierce and protective mother. Don’t let some fool you; she can sit on at least 6 eggs.

 

[RuralLivingFarmette]

I got bantams. Well my husband did . Introduced them to my small flock of ISA browns. All the bantams went broody (they have yet to successfully hatch anything ) and THEN 2 of my Isa browns went broody. One was a failed batch. But today I have 2 live chicks and several more hatching out from the other Isa!
I've heard broody hens are infectious. I bought 2 broody marain hens that never went back broody
Make sure they have lots of nesting options. My hens favorite places are behind barrels or inside of them

 

[cresent moon poultry]

how old does a hen have to be to go broody? i know that it takes them six months from hatch to lay eggs, but how old intel they sit on them(go broody)?

 

[Silkie2]

how old does a hen have to be to go broody? i know that it takes them six months from hatch to lay eggs, but how old intel they sit on them(go broody)?

it can happen almost any time once they start laying eggs. breeds that get broody often are usually Bantams. although my austrolourps get broody pretty often with one going broody like every month! just be patient and eventually it will happen. place some dummy eggs or golfballs in there to encourage them

 

[coach723]

Pretty much as soon as they start laying they can go broody. Absolutely no way to force it. I have one really good broody hen, she's 8 years old, I have a couple of others that 'think about it' but ultimately never commit. As said before, get a few from a breed that are known for being good broodies, and then wait and cross your fingers. Any hen can go broody, some breeds are much more common for it.

 

[MichelleBelle]

I have read up on it and I like the idea of raising chickens from a broody hen rather then an incubator. how do I make a hen go broody?

Also are barred rocks good at going broody?

I bought day old barred rock chicks last August, and one of them went broody this May. She hatched out some chicks and is doing a great job of being Mama hen. I don't know how common it is for a barred rock to go broody, though, so maybe someone who has extensive experience with that breed will speak to that question.

 

[Silkie2]

I bought day old barred rock chicks last August, and one of them went broody this May. She hatched out some chicks and is doing a great job of being Mama hen. I don't know how common it is for a barred rock to go broody, though, so maybe someone who has extensive experience with that breed will speak to that question.

i have two barred rock adult hens that hardly ever go in the nesting box and have yet to see them go broody

 

[sóley]

You can’t force it, but I own 4 silkie, 2 of them have gone broody, 1 went broody once but the other one is always broody, ha ha

So she lays on her eggs and raise the chicks and when there 6 weeks old she starts laying eggs again and shortly after that she goes broody again


So silkies are pretty good broody hens, also I have pekin bantam chicks that I heard where good at gone broody so I bought some chicks, there still small so I don’t have a broody experience with them yet but they are a beautiful birds.