making a hen broody !!!

[carmen chicks]

i was considering buying hatching eggs but i dont have a broody hen so i was wondering can you make a hen broody.

 

[Judy]

Very unlikely, but one of the Sussex should go broody in the next few months -- hopefully.

 

[carmen chicks]

can anyone tell me how to make a hen broody ???

 

[Fred's Hens]

The hen has instincts and hormones that drive this behavior. "Making" an animal do something that only nature can do is quite difficult, if not impossible. Leaving a clutch of eggs, rather than collecting them, sometimes seems to assist in "triggering" the drive, but won't always work and most times simply doesn't.

 

[gryeyes]

What Fred said.

Most hens are production birds with the "broody" instincts bred out of them. They may never go broody, ever. Some breeds are more prone to going broody, but even some of them never do it. Even in the heritage (non-hatchery) breeds, it is totally instinctual and driven by hormones - people who say they "made" a hen broody are - in my not-so-humble opinion - just happening to hit the particular hen who has those instincts and went broody, coincidentally, when the owner "stimulated" the broodiness.

 

[karlamaria]

I have buff orphingtons and there always going broody. In fact one is sitting on eggs right now. We have no rooster so we bought a dozen eggs ( put only 5 under her) she as broody so long I got worried so I broke down and got her eggs to hatch. Buffs are famous for going broody I hope she hatches these out, I will candle them in 10 days . I'm so excited! I say buy birds that are notorious for broodiness.

 

[bj taylor]

i have a buff orp. i expect when she's old enough she will go broody. do i just let her do what she's inclined to do - do i just keep taking her eggs? not sure what's best for her & me. no rooster available @ this time.

 

[gryeyes]

i have a buff orp. i expect when she's old enough she will go broody. do i just let her do what she's inclined to do - do i just keep taking her eggs? not sure what's best for her & me. no rooster available @ this time.

Take her eggs until she has been off the roost for two full nights and spending 99% of her time in the nest. That's my first test for a broody hen. Sometimes they "practice" as their hormones rise, but I don't consider a hen broody until she's spent two nights on the next, puffs up and growls at me when I gather her eggs, and otherwise spends her time flattened out like a pancake over her eggs.

I, however, have roosters, so I let mine satisfy their mommy instincts. If I didn't have roosters, I'd try to get a few fertile eggs for any hen that went broody, because I don't like the tactics used to "break broody hens."

NOT all the eggs may hatch, or she may leave the nest early. I've had that happen.