It's high summer. Yes, this is the most (unideal) time for broodies to set, at least where I am in Southern California. And yet, here I am overrun with them!
I had a theory as to what (possibly) could be contributing to this. Many of my hens are in breeding groups where I sometimes remove the roosters to prevent over-mating. I have noticed a trend, that within several days of removing a rooster, at least one hen from that group goes broody, sometimes more.
This would make sense from a natural perspective since the disappearance of the male would mean only a few more weeks of fertile eggs, which triggers the instinct to set. What do you think? Has anyone else observed this seeming correlation or is it just chance? (I let the first broody set, but the last 4 or 5 I have broken).
Groups that did not have the rooster removed (i.e. larger groups) had only 1 broody the entire year thus far.
I would love to hear your thoughts!
I had a theory as to what (possibly) could be contributing to this. Many of my hens are in breeding groups where I sometimes remove the roosters to prevent over-mating. I have noticed a trend, that within several days of removing a rooster, at least one hen from that group goes broody, sometimes more.
This would make sense from a natural perspective since the disappearance of the male would mean only a few more weeks of fertile eggs, which triggers the instinct to set. What do you think? Has anyone else observed this seeming correlation or is it just chance? (I let the first broody set, but the last 4 or 5 I have broken).
Groups that did not have the rooster removed (i.e. larger groups) had only 1 broody the entire year thus far.
I would love to hear your thoughts!
