Is going broody contagious?

[longranger]

My hens are confusing the heck out of me. 2 have been on eggs for 5 days now. Suddenly 2 more have joined them taking over whenever they get up for a short stretch. I am home and watching closely. There have been no unusual squabbles and the eggs have stayed covered. Will need to check this PM to see if these new hens remain on infertile eggs tonight. If so I guess it is my obligation to add some new eggs to satisfy their urge.

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[Majestic Lane Poultry]

Yes it is contagious. Get them some fertile eggs so they can raise babies? What kind do you have?

 

[zowieyellowflame]

I am sure it is. One hen began to sit, another tried to sit with her the same night and the next morning another hen was sitting.

 

[longranger]

I put the 2 broody chicken hens on turkey eggs last week. Will put any new broody hens on some chicken eggs this week. My plan is to have some chicks to help teach the poults how to eat and drink. Any resulting pullets will join the flock and any Roos will have to go to freezer camp. Was thinking a couple of standard conchins but now that I have quite a few going broody may opt for something else I don't have, maybe olive eggers or ameraucana. In the mean time my ISA browns, black sex links and a few other hens are laying about 6 days out of 7 so adequate eggs for home use is not an issue.

 

[dancingbear]

Of 29 hens, I have 10 out on maternity leave right now. 3 with new (and not-so-new) babies, and 7 brooding. I have 3 pairs of hens sharing nests to brood, and stealing each others eggs. I gave up and am just letting them steal eggs back and forth between them all day, every day. I set the eggs in 2 batches, one bunch on one date, the rest on a later date. Each pair is sharing eggs of the same date, so that shouldn't be a problem. I marked one batch in black, the other in red, so I can tell at a glance that the dates match!

 

[pbjmaker]

Quote:
That is what I do. I have 9 out of 16 hens "on maternity leave". 7 sitting full time, one with 4 chicks and one that sits part time and then shares her lone chick with the other mama. (They have co-parented one other time this year)