Things that encourage broody behavior?

[eastercreek]

Will a hen begin to act broody at a certain age even if there isnt a rooster in the flock? We are still at the stage where we are deciding if we want to keep any roosters (if they turn out to be roos) in our flock. Right now all our chicks are 7 weeks and under.
Obviously if the rosster is aggressive, etc...we wont...but if he turns out to be nice, I am not sure if want to keep them if their presence will only encourage my hens to go broody earlier.

 

[BooBear]

A hen can go broody whether a rooster is around or not.
The feel of the egg under her and the instinct to be a mommy are the triggers. If you have Silkies , just the thought can do it.
Some breeds have stronger tendincies toward broodiness than others.

Also, if she is related to or in contact with gritser's hens she will definitely go broody.

 

[darin367]

the only time 1 of my hens gets broody is when i pile up 12 eggs in a nesting box.... after 2 days she just can't stand it and starts sitting on them... works out great, so much easier than doing the incubator thing.... pile in 12 eggs, come back in 3 weeks and i have chicks, after 2 days i put them in a brooder and she goes back to laying eggs in 2 weeks.... as long as i collect my eggs, no problems...

 

[juliette2009]

Quote:
Same with my seramas! I fight against broodiness all the time!