how to make my hen hatch her eggs

[dreamcatcher12]

I'm trying to have one of my hens hatch her eggs I'm not sure really how to go about doing this or does the hen have to do it on her own. There is 8 eggs in the nest right now she don't sit on them at all during the day so I don't think she is broody. Someone told me they would gather eggs then sit.. I guess I'm just hoping someone can teach me how to hatch my own eggs without an incubator... Thank you in advance for any help u can give me..

 

[junebuggena]

I don't think you can make a hen broody. Either she is, or she isn't. Chickens are creatures of habit and usually lay in the same place everyday. Unless she is sitting on those eggs and protecting them, she isn't broody.

 

[dreamcatcher12]

So then to hatch my own chicks I would have to incubate them is what u r saying.. Is there special times when hens go broody..

 

[junebuggena]

No special time of year. Some girls go broody all the time, some girls never do, some will go broody for a week and then abandon their eggs. Some breeds are more likely to go broody than others, but it still won't be a guarantee.

 

[WallabyOfChaos]

My Cochin bantam hens will go broody from March through September, and there really doesn't seem to be any set schedule for it. It seems like one day the hen just wakes up and says "I think I'll hatch some chicks now."

What breed is your hen? Different breeds will become broody more readily than others, and some breeds were selected to be "non-setters" and never go broody at all. If you have a "non-setting" breed, she won't brood and hatch your eggs.