Getting a hen to go Broody

[Anonymous]

Hi all.

Is there a way to encourage a hen to go broody? I have tried putting some pot eggs in a nest box (I started with one egg and then added another every day for a few days) but my hen just goes and lays one of her eggs with the pots and goes outside again!! Any ideas?

Many thanks,

 

[pebojuno]

Hi, Some breeds (particularly the better layers!) don't go broody very often at all- others, like silkies and pekins go broody at the drop of a hat. What breed of hen do you have? Sounds like you're doing all the right things to encourage them.

 

[Anonymous]

I've got Partridge Cochins - 1 cock and 3 hens. One hen is two years old this year, the others are not quite a year (we hatched them in an incubator last year). Our older hen went broody at the backend of last year but I didn't want her to sit on eggs in the autumn.

 

[pebojuno]

Cochins are meant to be good broodies so I'd keep oing what you're doing and wait for the weather to warm up and you'll probably get one.

Alternatively, pretend that you want massively high egg production and one will go broody :lol: I want a broody and all my pekins are laying every day - Murphy's law I think it's called. (or something ruder!)

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks guys - think I'm doing it right then - just got to be patient!!