i want a broody hen

[polloboy]

how old does a cochin need to be to go broody

 

[WiseChicks]

I had one go broody at about 5mo old.

 

[Teresaann24]

chickens have a mind of there own each are different. I have 2 silkies who are broody as crazy and 2 others who have not gone broody a day in there life. It just depends my 1st silkie went broody when she was 7 months. My oldest girl didnt go broody till she was 1 year old. So it just depends on the bird. You cannot make them go broody they do it on there own.

 

[polloboy]

well they wil be a year on the 21st they have a a nest full of eggs but they wont sit

 

[gritsar]

I'm right there with you. I'd love to have a broody hen. After asking some questions about broody nature I tried an experiment. I marked some eggs and left them in the nest hoping to stimulate a hen to go broody. It didn't work.

I guesss like everything else with my chickens, they'll go broody if and when they get darn good 'n ready to.

 

[Mom 2em All]

My Silkie goes broody if I don't gather the eggs up fast enough..lol.. good luck- I hope you get a broody hen.

 

[Teresaann24]

if u want broody get a silkie hen!!

 

[Redfeathers]

or a buff orpington! wow do they go broody

 

[freddy22]

i beg to differ that you can not make a hen go broody....and i base this on my story from today......

Within the month i had posted something along the lines of " I want a broody hen, can i make it happen? etc...i wanted a broody hen and i have a 3 yr. old BO that as we know has a potential to be a good mother since she is BO....

well i put about 15 golfballs in her nest and let her lay an egg a day in the nest with the golfballs, and everyday i would take her egg out and only HER egg so the balls were still there.....gave it a week and began growing impatient and today when i went out to feed i find her sitting on the nest, i thought, " ok, she is laying her daily egg", but when i went out later that afternoon she is still laying on it......so now im thinkin cool, MAYBE she is going broody...

Tonight, i went out to feed her and when i opened the gate, she slowly got off the nest got a drink of water, pecked on the ground for food, took a huge poop, and after 5-10 min, she is back on the nest as we speak keeping her future babies warm.......

Coincidence - idk, but i do know that this is the first time in 3 yrs that she has done this and i WAS TRYING to get her to go broody, 2 weeks later she is now heatin up some eggs....... you tell me?

 

[happyhens]

Having a full nest encourages the hen(s) to go broody, it doesn't make them.