I want my hens to go broody

[melissastraka]

I really want a broody hen! This is not fair! I have orps and RIR and i would think by age 1 one of them would have gone but noooooooo! I see them in the nest and get my hopes up and then they run out, I swear they are laughing at me!!!! Can I "help" them set???? any ideas or do i just have to hope something will go broody here? I swear my dog could hatch eggs before one of them decides to!

 

[rbseggs]

you just have to sit back and hope. The orps are more likely to go broody than the RIRs. if you really want them to go broody then you should leave the eggs in the nest. just stop collecting. also give them more nest options. the less there is goin on and the more comfortable they can be then thats when they will start. but really there is no way to force a hen to go broody. your best bet would be to get some bantams they brood all the time. silkies especially

 

[warhorse]

Instead of leaving real eggs in the nest, you could use dummy eggs. I had a dozen at one time, but one disappeared. I still haven't found the impacted snake yet, though.

 

[Ryu]

I would kill for a non-broody hen. If you want broody, try Standard Cornish.

I love them, but they are making me crazy. They lay ten eggs, then bam they're broody and they don't lay for two weeks. They make nests with no eggs!

Hello, you're incubating pine shavings!

They are so sweet, but I'm really frustrated with them right now....