Why don't my chickens go broody???

[SurferchickinSB]

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?

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?

Well, I think you are right in that they may not like the chicken tractor because chickens don’t like things that are changed. I think any kind of change makes them nervous. I wish I had that problem, my chickens are always going broody and I keep telling them that I am not gonna give them any more babies!

 

[Fluffy Lambs]

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?

Maybe if you partially covered the openings to their nesting boxes, made them really dark inside, and left fake eggs or golf balls in them, they might go broody. Or you could build a small coop specifically for getting them broody (then if they do go broody it's a chick coop after the eggs are hatched). If that doesn't work, and if you don't want to incubate them yourself, then I'm sure theirs a silkie that would love to hatch some eggs for you!

 

[cassie]

Get yourself a silky, I heard they hatch rocks.

I had a Cochin that was bound and determined to hatch a box of iris bulbs.

 

[Fluffy Lambs]

My cochin's another one that goes broody all the time. She's a vicious protector of her chicks!

 

[Bill752]

We've had broody breeds that never set & non-broody breeds go broody even before they laid for 6 months. It's easier to talk them out of setting than it is to set, but leave a nest of eggs marked with the date 7 days after the date you placed the eggs & replace them with other eggs if no one has adopted them to set on. You should candle them to look for blood vessels & leave them in the nest if you do. We moved 2 hens that chose to be broody, one accepted the new location, the other one didn't & went insane. She'll set on an empty nest for 2-3 days & then goes off the nest clucking & acting like a mother hen to an invisible brood. My wife saved the chicks from the hen we moved by getting the chicks as they hatched & were ready for the brooder. I happened there while 2 poisonous snakes were attacking her & rescued her & then we disposed of the snakes.

 

[Fluffy Lambs]

My silkie went broody before she started laying.

 

[corriemartin]

Thank you for everyone's responses. I have since parked the tractor, and have a large electrified area for them to range in during the day. But alas, a large black snake seems to be eating most of the eggs. I have a friend with a broody hen who was sitting on fake eggs, and I took ten of my eggs and tucked them under her. We'll see if SHE will sit on them the whole time.

 

[Fluffy Lambs]

Would the snake eat fake eggs?

 

[Blue Raptor]

Would the snake eat fake eggs?

No. We have 6 Astralorps and almost all of them have gone broody over 3 times.

 

[LaFleche]

Barred Rocks not broody.
I've had 7 Barred Rocks for more than a year, 5 more than 1 1/2 years and the final 3 for 33 months, none ever went broody.

I recently bought 4 more Barred Rocks, because I don't want any setters.

Mine did and were wonderful mommas.