Time of year for Broodys??

[chickenwoods]

Is there a common time of year that hens go broody??,do they prefer a season??,

And is it common for a new layer to go broody,or are they usually older hens 1yr+who go broody..

I have a brahma roo,but i dont want any offspring from him..and i have a 3 month old RIR roo who i really want offspring from,when he gets old enough i want to breed him with my hens and have a broody hen..so i dont have to buy any more chicks..

Is there a way to encourage a hen to become a mother..

 

[SpottedCrow]

There's no set period for hens to become broody. Some never do and others set at the drop of a hat...
Right now my Sikie/Cochin mix is broody and my Leghorn is trying...

Broodiness is a hormonal thing, so there's not really a way to MAKE them set.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Some of my standards that have always gone broody in Spring and Summer....Buff Orpingtons, Light Brahmas and Blue Orps...I think it depends on what kind of weather you would get for Fall and Winter if you would have a hen that wants to set....

 

[silkiechicken]

Yeah, it's hormonal...my broody went nutz at the end of summer... and now she's running around with a week old chick in the 40 deg weather and rain.. why is it we try so hard to keep it warm???

 

[chickenwoods]

Thanks, and a couple of my hens are peckin thier lower breast feathers out,and its almost bald now.,is that a sign of broodyness??,but they arnt setting.....

Another question....In the barn I have 13 full grown chickens,1 roo and the rest hens.and 9-3 month olds in the chicken tracter.If one of the hens went broody,and hatched some youngn's,would it be alright to let the flock be with the mother and her babys.Or will the other hens kill the babys?

 

[DuckLady]

My first hen laid her first egg just shy of 4 months old and was broody a week later. Silly hen.

 

[silkiechicken]

You can keep her with the flock but you will take a risk in losing a chick if the mom can't protect them all. My broody has raised chicks with the rest but each time she only had one so it grew up a spoiled brat.