Making a hen broody?

[arent87]

I just posted a question asking for incubator recommendations, but of course a broody hen is the best incubator of them all... the only problem is that, out of my 8 hens, none of them have ever gone broody in the 3+ years we have had them. One 'Sophia LaHen' is our Orpington, which apparently make good hatchers and moms, we also have a couple Plymouth rocks, a mean jersey red and four easter eggers.

But how do hens get broody? Should we stop collecting eggs every day to maybe entice one of the hens to get broody? (this will be in the spring after the last snow). Is it even possible to influence a hen's broodiness?

Thanks!

 

[sumi]

From my experiences, it is possible to encourage broodiness in hens, but it does help if your hens are prone to broodiness in the first place! Leaving eggs as "bait" in the nest boxes can help to encourage hens to sit. I have had accidental and planned success with this method and so have friends of mine. Mark the eggs so you can replace them with fresh ones once the hen(s) have been sitting for at least a day and half. Leave the "bait" eggs in the nest and remove the fresh ones laid daily and wait and see what the hens do. Good luck!