Why can a broody......

[Sonya9]

EDIT- Are there broody pills that I can give to my chickens to get them to go broody or something?

If you want a broody just find local breeders with large mixed flocks or show breeders. They have plenty of broodies and are usually happy to sell you one cheap. It seems broody is contagious so if you have one it may very well trigger other hens to start sitting (if they are prone to it).

While some will start sitting at a young age others don't get the urge until they are a few years old. It is much easier to just buy an experienced adult mama hen rather than trying to raise your own from chicks.

I bought a broody this spring as I hadn't had one for 2 years and her arrival w/chicks immediately triggered my 3 year old bantam hen to go broody for the first time less than a week later. The bantam hatched 4 of her own eggs and is an excellent mother to them, the chicks are about 14 weeks old and she is STILL mothering them.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I think the climate influences the hormones that make them broody. We have warm-hot weather here most of the time.

It also makes sense that hatcheries would not want broody butts in their flocks since broody=no eggs=less eggs for hatching=reduced profit.

Mine were all hatchery birds so there's that.

I did however have a batch of 9 black Australorp from a hatchery that were stubborn broody butts.

 

[Cee]

A rooster seems to help. It's one of the ways the local chicken keepers here encourage broodiness in new flocks.

Why do roosters help?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Is everyone’s broody nasty tempered???

Mine squawks at me, but I’m able to remove eggs that others laid in her box. Check her to make sure she’s healthy, etc. Gentle peck once or twice but that’s it.

I had 3 hens this year that would grab me and 4 (5 if you count the hen that brooded 2x this year) that will just let me take their eggs to candle. Guess which I prefer XD

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Why do roosters help?

I'm my experience they add to the combination that creates a broody. We've always had males with our flock, but the ones that do the right things (tidbiting, interesting besides to breed, protecting, ect.) Seem to produce more goodies in the flock

 

[ChassiNoir]

My giant cochins NEVER went broody either. Just my tiny black cochin. That and every black Australorp from Strombergs.

I have the opposite problem. My LF Cochin goes broody at the sight of a round object. If I don’t remove even one egg immediately, she’s broody. Empty pill bottle (please don’t ask)? Broody. Rock? Broody. Bantam legless rooster? Broody. She lives in my house, so she goes out to potty in the morning and then throws sticks at me. The difficult problem is getting her NOT to brood! Even when her house is empty.

Our...I’ll call them silkies just to be nice (hatcheries are very vague with what is a breed)—will brood until life ceases to exist, I’m pretty sure. The asians we purchased for our first chicken adventure are only broody as they feel like it (which isn’t really broody, but you can’t tell them that). Other then that, our other chickens tell their offspring to fend for themselves, which isn’t particularly helpful in egg form.

 

[Painted Calls]

Heck, just get yourself a new chicken coop and cram it with bantam Cochins.

This is what everyone should do.

 

[The Happster]

This is what everyone should do.

What have I done?!

 

[Painted Calls]

What have I done?!

You will never live this down.

Might even add it as a quote in my signature.

 

[The Happster]

You will never live this down.

Might even add it as a quote in my signature.

I didn't expect you to come slinking around here or I would have said cram it with Orpingtons.
You can quote it but change it to Orps.