Please help!

[Poultrykeeper12]

Hey, I have been raising chickens for about six years now, and my biggest concern is hatching. My question is that can you make a hen go broody on it's own? Because my Hens tend to not go broody at all, if they decide to go broody they sit on the eggs for about 10 days and leave them probally because they decide to hatch in the fall. I do collect eggs every night so they have an opportunity to do there thing, but they just don't get the idea. All help is appreciated

Thank You!

 

[sourland]

You can't 'make' a hen go broody, and some breeds are either non broody or very poor at setting. What breeds do you have ? Some feel that leaving ceramic nest eggs in the box will help increase broodiness - worth a try.

 

[Poultrykeeper12]

You can't 'make' a hen go broody, and some breeds are either non broody or very poor at setting. What breeds do you have ? Some feel that leaving ceramic nest eggs in the box will help increase broodiness - worth a try.

Hello, I have multiple breeds. Black giant, White Giant, Black Australorp, Silver Polish, Buff Chochin, And Rhode Island Reds.

 

[sourland]

Should come up with a broody hen in that flock. Cochins are generally a very broody breed. Good luck.

 

[Painted Calls]

Should come up with a broody hen in that flock. Cochins are generally a very broody breed. Good luck.

I can attest to that. I've got two in broody jail right now... Maybe try ceramic eggs. How old are your girls?

 

[Poultrykeeper12]

I can attest to that. I've got two in broody jail right now... Maybe try ceramic eggs. How old are your girls?

Some of them I got last year. But most of them I've had for over two years.

 

[Mtnboomer]

You can't 'make' a hen go broody, and some breeds are either non broody or very poor at setting. What breeds do you have ? Some feel that leaving ceramic nest eggs in the box will help increase broodiness - worth a try.

I keep Brahmas and have only had 1-2 hens in 100+ go broody. She never stayed on the eggs full term. Our friends keep Brahmas as well, and they get 2-3 broody hens a year. Both our flocks are about the same with 1 rooster and 8-14 hens.
So, i guess a lot depends on the individual bird as well.
Fake eggs never helped. We always have to incubate.

 

[aart]

So, i guess a lot depends on the individual bird as well.

Absolutely!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some feel that leaving ceramic nest eggs in the box will help increase broodiness - worth a try.

George, I tried that a few times with golf balls and real (marked) eggs. It never really worked. I did have a hen go broody but that was on a different nest, I don't think that counts. My hens tend to go broody.

can you make a hen go broody on it's own?

In my experience, no. Some breeds have a tendency to go broody while some breeds almost never do. Your Cochin and Australorp are your most likely candidates, the others not nearly as likely. But even then, you need enough for averages to mean something for tendencies to mean much. Buff Orpington have a reputation for going broody, mine never did. Every now and then you see on here where a Rhode Island Red went broody, that almost never happens. It does depend a lot on the individual.

The only way you can control hatching is to get an incubator and do it yourself.

 

[sourland]

George, I tried that a few times with golf balls and real (marked) eggs. It never really worked. I did have a hen go broody but that was on a different nest, I don't think that counts. My hens tend to go broody.

'Some folks' - never worked for me either.