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Post by Mari-in-IN on May 14, 2015 1:50:27 GMT
#1--Because they are chickens... #2--Because you want someone to become broody...If you didn't want anyone to be broody-you'd have several!! I personally don't know if there is any way to "make them become broody", but I have experienced what you have-my older Buff Orp would typically go broody in the Fall and then sometimes again in the Spring. Unfortunately, she hasn't this Spring, maybe she thinks she is getting too old for "motherhood." That is her in my Avatar-she's six years old now and I just love her!! Maybe someone else here will have a better answer! (And by the way-that cat licking the screen is driving me crazy-maybe it's 'cause my screen does need some cleaning!!) Regards, Mari |
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Post by manygoatsnmore on May 14, 2015 2:00:59 GMT
I think what you need to do is go out to the hen house and loudly pronounce that egg production needs to increase and NO BROODY HENS WILL BE ALLOWED! I guarantee you that you'll have a few broodies in no time, lol.
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Post by bergere on May 14, 2015 12:09:10 GMT
Some hatcheries have bred the broodiness out of the Hens, as most people want eggs not chicks.
Right now, I have 3 Speckled Sussex and one Blue Cooper Marans, that are broody. Two of them are hatching eggs out for me right now. OK,, and two very broody Turkeys.
The rest, show no signs of wanting to be broody.
In the past I used white Frizzle Cochin bantams to hatch eggs out for me... they were the best, and great mothers to boot.
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Post by shellymay on May 14, 2015 12:16:26 GMT
Like you said Silkies are the best....other then that the only other SURE bet at the right time is a incubator  |
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Post by amylou on May 14, 2015 13:38:39 GMT
I have on little red banty and she thinks she can hatch as many eggs as a big girl. She goes broody every couple months except in the winter. I have to steal the eggs from her.
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Post by Deleted on May 14, 2015 16:29:16 GMT
Another vote for silkies here. I have 2 of them and one or the other of them is pretty much always broody. Not always a good thing. LOL
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Post by manygoatsnmore on May 15, 2015 2:48:29 GMT
Last year, I think half my hens were broody all year - started in January and finished at Thanksgiving. This year, I've only had 2 broodies so far - one abandoned her nest and the other should be hatching her clutch any time now. Mostly all the same hens, so go figure!
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Post by manygoatsnmore on May 18, 2015 21:33:05 GMT
Again, an abandoned nest before the eggs hatched.  Too many roosters pestering the hens. It's affecting both laying and brooding. I have my drill powered chicken plucker now, so it's time to catch roos at night and cage them for butchering day. Canner camp is taking signups! |
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Post by claytonpiano on May 18, 2015 22:15:58 GMT
My silkies are terrible. They go broody and then get off the nest about 3 days before they are supposed to. I have had great success with Silkies in the past so I think it really depends on the chicken. I just had two buff orpington hatch a total of 12 chicks. I have 3 other buffs that are broody. The buffs stay broody during the summer. Always a new one in the nest box so I am not sure why yours are not broody. Do the roosters or other hens pick on your buffs?
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Post by Maura on May 19, 2015 0:58:23 GMT
Control the amount of light they get. Imitate the times they get broody.
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Post by manygoatsnmore on May 20, 2015 5:37:11 GMT
Well, I had a lovely surprise today. The hen I thought had abandoned her nest actually hatched out 3 chicks. There was one unhatched egg left in the nest, and all the rest had been broken by the roos fighting last week. So, not a very good hatch, but it's a hatch, none the less! Usually seems like when the other hens see a momma with chicks, they get with the program, too.
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