I have had a run of 11 broody hens this year. Seven of them have raised numbers of chicks ranging between 1 and 20. One just set herself up on a clutch and is TBA. Three had failed broods of which two were caused by possums. Possums can get over walls and fences that dogs and raccoons can’t.
During the second half of 2019, we made major security improvements to the chicken run.
We had one rooster and 8 or 9 hens in January or February. We purchased two Game hens in late January or February. That was just for fun with no specific plans.
One of them went broody in late February and hatched one pullet on March 18th.
Since then, we have had hatches of 2, 7, 3, 5, 0, 20, 0, 0, and most recently, 7.
Yes, I use a spreadsheet to keep track of the father, mother, breeds or mixes, date of hatch, number of chicks, and a few other things. If this goes on much longer, I’ll need to wing-band ‘em at 8-10 weeks...to give each one their own ID.
In my experience.....
The sound of chicks in a safe environment is very much an inducement for a hen to go broody. And, if a hen was broody-raised, she is more likely to go broody herself, and that could be at a fairly early age.
We put the broody mama in a raised cage with the babies for several weeks because we have lost some little ones in heavy rainstorms.
There are now maybe 35 chickens total after selling 8 mutt chicks + culling 4 or 5 hatchery Barred Rocks that came from a store and had faults of one kind or another. I have helped two people set up new flocks and provided a couple families with dinners.
In other words, I am starting to do a bit of selective breeding with the two or three groups that I have.
There are two older hens left that have never gone broody. One is a Speckled yellow hen, and the other is a Columbian-pattern white hen. They’re OK birds, but don’t quite fit in with the Mamas Club.
Agree that the hatcheries select for egg-laying. That selects against broodiness. Private breeders are less likely to do that.
And the hen that was hatched on March 18th? She has a clutch of her own and seems to be try to decide whether to start setting it.
