I want baby chicks!

[Jerri Mcelwee]

How do I go about getting my hens to sit on their eggs and hatch them? I have one rooster and 7 hens. Rhode Island Reds

 

[Missbc]

If your hens aren’t broody then they won’t sit on the eggs to hatch them.

 

[Shadowfire]

It's all up to the hens; if they want to hatch eggs, they will go broody in the springtime. Or you can incubate the eggs.

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

You’ll have to wait til they go broody. My RIR’s sit on the eggs until I get out to collect.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

You cant force broodiness.....you can wait and see, add a hen or two of breeds known for broodiness or incubate artificially

 

[chickens really]

Adding any breeds to RIR is a recipe for disaster. They are not known to be a Broody breed although depending on where they came from they possibly might?

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

Adding any breeds to RIR is a recipe for disaster. They are not known to be a Broody breed although depending on where they came from they possibly might?

Yeah they’re right mean birds to other breeds. Mine go broody from time to time and I have to break them.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Adding any breeds to RIR is a recipe for disaster. They are not known to be a Broody breed although depending on where they came from they possibly might?

To be fair, i never said co-house

 

[Shadowfire]

Adding any breeds to RIR is a recipe for disaster. They are not known to be a Broody breed although depending on where they came from they possibly might?

Agree. RIR are also known to be very aggressive, and the new hens will be stressed and not likely to go broody right away.