why wont my ckickens lay on their eggs!?!?!

[bufforphington]

i have ten chickens and all of them are laying (well except the rooster of course) but they wont lay on their eggs longer than it takes to lay them and i don't really want to pay a ton of money on a incubater. does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Silkie Chick]

There are certain breeds that are more prone to broodiness than others. Also, the age is dependent on when they go broody. Ours rarely try to set on eggs before a year old. The season also is of importance, because most hens only try to hatch eggs in the spring.

 

[Silkie Chick]

Also WELCOME TO BYC!

 

[bufforphington]

um i think their like almost a year, and it is spring. i guess it might just be their age
thank you for welcoming me

 

[Silkie Chick]

Depending on where you live, the weather can feel like summer right now.

 

[NovaAman]

What should be asked, is what type of chickens you have? You want chicks... Get some cochin bantams or a couple of silkies. I have a silkie and 2 cochin bantams, and all three LOVE to be broody. The first 2 went broody in the winter. Just finished their second brood and the 3rd one just did her first and is already contemplating going broody again. SO, yeah. Some breeds aren't bred for broodiness. They are bred for production. SO, you don't want an incubator, get silkies.

 

[bufforphington]

i live in CA so it is starting to get pretty hot. also the kind of chickens that i have are, two jersey black giants, one rode eiland red, um i don't really know all their names. do you no any impaticular breeds of chickens that will lay on their eggs??

 

[bufforphington]

ooh i just remembered the names of a few... we also have two americana's, one bared rock... we still have like two more

 

[speckledhen]

If you have hatchery stock, they most likely will not go broody. Hatcheries have bred that trait out of many of the breeds today. Age likely has nothing to do with it. I've had hens go broody a month after they started laying.

I've never had a hatchery Barred Rock or hatchery RIR go broody, not ever. I have had one of my heritage show quality type BRs brood, though.

Your "Americanas" if you got them as hatchery stock are Easter Eggers and since they can be quite varied, being of mixed genetics, it's impossible to say if yours are the broody type. I have had one of my true Ameraucanas brood, however.

 

[bufforphington]

hatcheries as in i got them at a feed store as chicks? cause that's how we got them.