I need help from the broody magicians of BYC!

[fluffycrow]

Hens vary wildly in how prone to broodiness they are. My polish hen never goes broody, my pekins cannot be stopped from going broody. I haven't kept the breed you have, but I would suggest bringing in a couple of Pekins, and then you can put the eggs from the other hens under them. I would also change your cockerel. As previous members have noted, conditions need to be right. You need at least 19% protein in the food, and a calm environment. Nest boxes are not an issue. My hens brood everywhere, but mostly not in the nest boxes!

Why would I need to change my rooster? Since I want to preserve this breed, I don't see how bringing in a new cockerel (which will also be much less experienced and much more careless with the girls) will help me achieve said goal. Protein they get lots of. Either foraging for bugs or the meat scraps from my aseel

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Why would I need to change my rooster? Since I want to preserve this breed, I don't see how bringing in a new cockerel (which will also be much less experienced and much more careless with the girls) will help me achieve said goal. Protein they get lots of. Either foraging for bugs or the meat scraps from my aseel

If he's too aggressive with breeding, hens can't brood. And if he comes from a hen that won't brood, his daughters likely won't either

 

[fluffycrow]

If he's too aggressive with breeding, hens can't brood. And if he comes from a hen that won't brood, his daughters likely won't either

He's never been aggressive. My point was that even if I DID change the breeding cockerel, since the new one would be younger and less experienced, his teenage hormones will make him be more rough when breeding the girls. This might not always be the case, but what's not broken doesn't need fixing, and my current rooster is very protective of his hens and careful with them. About his genetic makeup causing his daughters to also be not broody is something I have considered

 

[LaurenRitz]

I know this is an old thread, but what about introducing a few chicks? I have a small flock of chicks about 6 weeks old, and an adult flock. Two of the pullets were very interested in the chicks when they met, not pecking or chasing them, and now a week later one has gone broody and the other is thinking about it. I know correlation is not causation, but a possibility?

 

[fluffycrow]

I know this is an old thread, but what about introducing a few chicks? I have a small flock of chicks about 6 weeks old, and an adult flock. Two of the pullets were very interested in the chicks when they met, not pecking or chasing them, and now a week later one has gone broody and the other is thinking about it. I know correlation is not causation, but a possibility?

I've tried it with numerous flocks, including this one. Plus, I don't have room for birds that don't serve a purpose other than getting hens to go broody