Why don't my chickens go broody???

[corriemartin]

We were counting on our chickens reproducing themselves? Two of our three breeds are SUPPOSED to be setters, but none of them have shown any inclination to doing so. Is there something I should be doing? We have them in a chicken tractor, with raised nesting boxes, and it gets moved every day; is that too distracting? Do they need to be in one location to get broody? Maybe we'll have to incubate and hatch them ourselves?

 

[yakitori]

What breeds do you have? My satin went broody (silkie and cochin genes), and I expected her to... but my orloff also went broody, which was a surprise...

My theory is that broodiness can be contagious and that the orloff caught the broodiness from my satin. You can probably try to play broody sounds to your hens and see whether that will influence them

In the end, it’s really just a shot in the dark, even science doesnt know exactly what makes a hen go broody...

I can’t comment on the chicken tractor, since when I moved her into the broody time out cage, my satin was more than happy to sit on air

 

[sweaterthebroodyrooster]

I have the same issue

 

[JacinLarkwell]

What breeds are they? Where did you get them from? I've had silkies before that never once even considered hatching eggs. Even broody breeds don't always go broody.

 

[TheAlrightyGina]

They gotta like the setup. I tried to set up a perfect (by my standards) broody pen and just let them accumulate a clutch...but none would sit. Threw up my hands and just left them be in the regular coop with the regular nest boxes...BAM...three broodies. Let them do it where they want and move them when the eggs hatch (or after you've snuck babies under them as is typical for me). It's highly possible that the movement of the tractor is too much for them to get settled into the idea, but age is also a factor. Are these mature hens or pullets?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Also yes, broodiness seems to be contagious. When one goes, I usually seem to have at least another 2 consider it

 

[TheDuckGuy]

We were counting on our chickens reproducing themselves? Two of our three breeds are SUPPOSED to be setters, but none of them have shown any inclination to doing so. Is there something I should be doing? We have them in a chicken tractor, with raised nesting boxes, and it gets moved every day; is that too distracting? Do they need to be in one location to get broody? Maybe we'll have to incubate and hatch them ourselves?

My uncle's hens go broody everyday

 

[corriemartin]

Buff orpingtons and plymouth rocks are the ones that are supposed to be "setters". They're over a year old at this point.

 

[Aapomp831]

What are their ages?

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Get yourself a silky, I heard they hatch rocks.