Once a broody, always a broody?

[Trish1974]

Last summer my then 14 month old australorp went broody. Due to my work schedule at the time, my attempts of breaking her were half-@$$ed (for lack of a better term). When I got home from work I would physically take her off the nest, shut her out of the coop only opening it right before dusk, and she would of course go straight to her nest box. I would sneak out a half hour or so after they roosted and would put her up on a roost only to find her in the nest box again in the morning. (I ended up blocking off that nest box at night but she would sleep on the floor in front of it). She was definitely determined. Even doing this daily she stayed broody almost 3 weeks. I am wanting to get some chicks this coming summer, and would rather have a hen hatch them instead of raising them myself. Are odds good that she will be broody again since she was so hardcore last summer, or is it just a crap shoot??

 

[Welshies]

She will likely go broody again. Your best bet is to let her go broody (let her accumulate her own eggs), and when she's reliably sitting, order your eggs and replace them with the others.

 

[sylviethecochin]

She'll likely go broody. That said, the only Australorp I ever had go broody only hatched one set and refused to ever try again. So have a back-up plan.

 

[lazy gardener]

She might or she might not. You may even find an other hen going broody. My girls never do so when it's convenient for me. I'd welcome a broody in the spring or early summer. My gals wait till mid to late August to go broody.

 

[Trish1974]

Thanks everyone!