Too funny..,How old are your girls? Those young'uns like to go out and play and leave their eggies with gramma....My first broody was a year-old black Ameraucana, by the end of the summer there were 3 black Ams fighting over the nest boxes. Strangely enuf, some of the the black Ams still laid while brooding. Mine started when i had to shut them up on the days i worked cause it wasn't dark enough by the time i left for my night shift to get them to go back in the coop.
I had two Blue Orps that were really broody at two years, but my buff orps never sat. Neither did the blue or red black or mixed color Ams. I lost all my good broodies to a fox earlier this summer, but one of the black Am daughters, who is two yo, is looking real promising, she pecks the crap out of me when i collect eggs, and if she gets a half dozen or so she won't let the others into the favorite box.
I picked my breeds specifically cause they brood (and lay pretty eggs). Believe me, if i had a good broody-girl, i would never mess with an incubator again!
I have two hatchery birds, both under a year old, that went broody twice this year each! One is glaring at me as we speak, all puffed up and the other is leading her two babies around the yard. I wised up tho, one hen had two babies, the other one has one egg and I just candled it - one live baby. I have a few eggs in a bator to throw at her if her baby doesn't hatch, but I don't need any more chickens!
I have 4 Orpington hens. My two buff Orpingtons won't even think about going broody but, my splash and blue Orpington go broody alot. I know it seems weird but, I think the different color Orpingtons have different personalities. My Buffs couldn't be bothered with something like that. So if you have buffs you might want to invest into getting a blue or a black or both. I didn't look to see where you lived but, I am in the process of doing a hatch and if you live close by and I have an extra blue or splash Orpington you can have it if you like. Anyway if you are interested pm me because, I probably won't see this post again because, I have to leave for a while.
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Many of them were born March/April last year. I have several Easter Eggers (supposed to be broody), a Buff Orpington, a blue splash Orpington (someone claims they're broody), 2 barred rocks, 2 RIRs, a blue marans, and a black sex link. I have a bunch of young barnevelders who haven't laid, but I suspect the no broody curse will hit them too.
The closest thing I've got to a broody is an ill-tempered barred rock who will bite if you check to see if she's laid an egg. Then, she lays her egg and leaves it. Go figure.
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I don't think it matters the color of the Orpington, I think it just depends on the chicken because we have a Buff Orpington who is broody ALL the time. She hatched out 6 chicks two weeks ago and has already gone broody again. We weren't able to leave the chicks under her so they went into a brooder. We have moved her this time to a better nest so that she can raise these babies when they hatch out. She lays well for us when she is not broody, but there are very few times that she is ever NOT broody!!