I have 3 hens and a borrowed rooster...now what?

[Lakebay Farmers]

I borrowed a neighbors rooster to see if we could hatch chicks instead of buying them this year. The hens are laying but no one is sitting on their eggs yet. Will it just take time? What do I do, if anything?

 

[Mesa]

You cant make a hen go broody. Some breeds never sit, because it has been bred out of them.
What breeds do you have and how old are they? If they are broody breeds you will just have to hope for the best and see if anyone goes broody on you.

 

[dancingbear]

You could put some fake eggs in a nest, maybe 5 or 6, and just leave them there. In some hens, seeing several eggs in a nest will trigger a hormone shift. This is not extremely common, but happens with some of the broodier types. Corn is supposed to increase body heat, which ca also trigger broodiness. (don't feed corn exclusively, just give them a couple handfuls as a treat a couple of times a day.) What breed(s) are your hens? Are they even broody types?

If not, you may want to get an incubator. That will cost more than buying some chicks, even if you build your own, probably, (unless you have most of the parts/materials already, or can scrounge and salvage, one of my favorite things to do) but you get to use it over and over, and you'd have the option of hatching chicks any time of year.

 

[EngieKisses]

I did not think we would ever see one of our hens go broody, but Saturday one finally decided that she wanted to set! She now has four eggs under her that I gave her Sunday! Be patient if you have one of the broody breeds. We have a small flock of cochins for setting.

 

[Mahonri]

If the rooster is doing his thing, you can always gather the eggs for a week and put them in an incubator!