Probably a stupid question but.......

[ChickenPeep]

Okay, i put golfballs in the nesting boxes in hpoes of getting a broody! Does the amount of golfballs matter?

 

[aggie9296]

Quote:
I'm not that far and I'd love a broody

She's unbroody right now. If she goes back to the nest again, I may be looking you up!

 

[hitgsd]

I speak from very limited experience. I just broke a broody 5 month old who has never even heard a rooster. While in the process of dealing with this nutty hen I spoke to a woman with many years experience, she lost 30 hens last month to a neighbor dog anyway, and she said if you leave fake eggs, or golf balls in the nesting boxes that will encourage broodiness. And I had been doing that trying to train the rest to lay in the nestbox instead of a hole in the ground. Anyway I pulled out the fake eggs and golf balls and so far no more broodys, but now 3 of my girls are laying in a amaryliss bed. I figure I would rather deal with that then a broody.

 

[chewy1981]

we've had silkie bantams and they're a nightmare for being broody to the point of we had too take them out the nesting box and shut the hatch just to make sure would eat.

 

[NanaLantana]

In my experience, broodiness 'just happens'. Some breeds become broody more often than others, some hardly EVER want to be broody. I don't really know that you can encourage it - Some say is't a fever, the hen gets hot, and has to sit. Previous to that, she goes around buk-buk-bukking like she didn't before. Then she'll save eggs, so leave some in the nest box. She will sit in the nest box and not get up - will let the other hens give her eggs, too. When you get a really serious broody, you'll know it. Hope it happens for you - if you want it! Then you'll have to build a broody coop/nursery!

 

[queenbeezz]

It has been my experience that they go broody on their own timetable. Some breeds will be constantly broody and others never seem to want to set. Putting golf balls in the nests encourages them to lay in the nest instead of all over the place but I don't really feel that it encourages them to go broody.

 

[Txcat]

I had A blk Astralorpe ( Tank) just go broody.She's about 1 1/2 yrs old. None of my hens have shown any signs of going broody, til after I got new chicks and keets about mid month, Aug. Then she watched them for a few days, then moved into my big dog crate that I set up in the coop for my 2 ducks, which is right next to the pen with my lil ones.I collected her eggs for about a week,then she went serious! No getting her eggs, lOL! But, the ducks managed to move her long enough to break and eat all her eggs

. So,I moved eggs from my other 4 hens in to her nest. I had moved 10 eggs to her, but, the ducks managed to get the door off the crate and raid her again!All but 3 were gonners. She has 3 eggs left, 2 from my coocoo 1 from my Jersey Giant/RIR cross. So, we are at day 11 and she's still sittin tight.. I too was hoping for a broody and thought it was pretty hopeless.After the duck raid I was sure she'd give it up, but she's hanging in there

So, just hang tight, they'll go when the time is right, and if they are serious there aint nothing gonna gonna make em quit, lOL!.
Now all I can do is wait and see if they hatch, cause she wont come off long enough for me to candle but 1 of them, from my cross, it looked good. I think the marens is too dark shelled anyway.
Best of luck, lOL hope one of yours is a Tank

 

[sourland]

Chickenpeep, what breeds do you have? Some breeds are basically non broody.