[chelle]

Hi all,  have been toying with the idea of getting some fertile eggs, is it possible to make a hen go broody?
I have 4 run of the mill hens, 1 has the broody chest/tummy sign eg. no feathers, but not sitting in the nest except to lay egg, also have a banty which is about 4 weeks into laying, im presuming this one is too young yet, so is it poss to encourage a hen to go broody???
All tips and suggestions appreciated

[diamond_lil]

In my limited experience, Light Sussex bantams go broody if you just look at them funny, but other breeds not so obliging. We did find that if you keep them off the layers pellets and feed them only mixed corn this can encourage broodiness, but hens are a little bit of a law unto themselves. Good luck! DL

[alan42]

if your hen is laying shes not broody, you carnt make a hen go broody (not even if you make funny faces at them lol ) she is the only one that will say right i am going to stop laying and try to hatch what i have laid.
Breed wise some are better broodys than others silkies and silkie crosses are famous for going broody hard feather breeds e,g  shamo, oeg ect are not so good but there again at this moment i have 2 shamos sat on eggs so unfortunatly you will have to wait untill nature takes its course.
good luck
alan.
an incubater is worth the money if can.

[Gardening Mark]

You could always build yourself a home made incubator like I did. As the bought ones are a bit pricey.. I succesfully hatched out 1 a few weeks ago and now there is another 6 fertile eggs in there and are due in a few days...  A good way to encourage ur hen to sit and hatch eggs for you is to leave the eggs she is laying in the nest she is laying in, when there is a batch of 5 - 10 she will probably try to sit on them , if not just eat the eggs, and try again.. I waited until there were 5 eggs in a nest and she just started sitting herself. But I would always change eggs after 5 days if shes not ready, just so they will still be safe to eat.. Plus you may have other hens laying in the same nest adding to the collection, if so that hen will still be chasing the other off the nest to lay more eggs so it is always best to mark the eggs that were there first with an X using a pencil just incase ink goes through the shell and kills the chick. Good luck

[Gardening Mark]

if your hen is laying shes not broody, you carnt make a hen go broody (not even if you make funny faces at them lol ) she is the only one that will say right i am going to stop laying and try to hatch what i have laid.
Breed wise some are better broodys than others silkies and silkie crosses are famous for going broody hard feather breeds e,g  shamo, oeg ect are not so good but there again at this moment i have 2 shamos sat on eggs so unfortunatly you will have to wait untill nature takes its course.
good luck
alan.
an incubater is worth the money if can.

 Hi Alan one of my Bantams was laying for a few days say 5, then she sat on those 5 eggs, which means she layed eggs up until either the day b4 or the same day as she started sitting. Leaving the eggs to build up is a good way to encourage them...

[chelle]

do you mind me asking how to make a diy incubator mark?

[Gardening Mark]

Hi all,  have been toying with the idea of getting some fertile eggs, is it possible to make a hen go broody?
I have 4 run of the mill hens, 1 has the broody chest/tummy sign eg. no feathers, but not sitting in the nest except to lay egg, also have a banty which is about 4 weeks into laying, im presuming this one is too young yet, so is it poss to encourage a hen to go broody???
All tips and suggestions appreciated

A friend of mine has a young hen about 7 - 8 months old and has only been laying eggs for 1 month, she is now sitting on 12 eggs. So I would'nt say she is too young, just not interested yet. Try leaving the eggs for a few days to build up in her nest and see what she does... Good luck.

[Gardening Mark]

do you mind me asking how to make a diy incubator mark?

Not at all. I used an old fishing tackle box, it's one of those big blue boxes you can sit on when shut. I drilled a few holes in the sides and top for airflow. When opened I screwed a piece of wood along the top and placed a lightbuld through a hole drilled into the wood so the light hangs down. But make sure the light can be moved up and down if neccesarry. I cut a square out of the front of the box and placed a piece of glass fom an old picture frame and stuck it in place with scellotape. I also used an old quilt cover for the base to make it nice and soft for the eggs.  I put in a thermometer and 2 cups of water, then shut the lid. You will have to experiment with the temp for a few hours until you get it right, check every 30 mins or so. If it is too hot move the light up or make more holes, if it is too cold move the light down or cover some holes. Make sure you put the thermometer in the same place and at the same height as the eggs will be so you get an accurate temp. Test the incubator overnight to make sure it is the same temp in the morning as the night, or vica versa. But it is best to leave for 24 hours to be sure of the temp. It should be placed in a spot where it will not get disturbed or be exposed to temp fluctuations. I keep mine in a cupboard in my bedroom which doesnt change temp much. Plus I check lots of times every day to make sure its right. The water is there for humidity. I also spray the eggs with a fine mist of water every time I check on them. I use a toothbrush as when you run your finger along it it gives a very fine mist. You should leave the eggs for the first 24 hours, then turn 2-3 times daily for 18 days. Then leave them alone to get in the proper position for hatching. Place the eggs on a slight angle with the pointy bit pointing down slightly, as the fat end is where their head will be and it wont be easy for them if upside down... The temp should be between 37 and 38 degrees celcius, around 100 F.  It will take about 21 days from start to finish for chicken eggs to hatch. I will take some photos right now and put them strait up if I can... Oh yeah you should mark the eggs too, with an X on one side and an O on the toher, this will make it easier for you when turning the eggs so you know they are all being turned equally.

[Gardening Mark]

I cant seem to be able to get my pics up. Any help would be appreciated on puttin pics here. I also have pics of my chickens and allotment to put up when I find out how lol. Thnx

[chelle]

try this, it worked for me


http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/viewtopic.php?t=630


all thanks to aunt sal

[racer21]

it all depends on the type of chicken you are dealing with i've been rasing chickens for about 20 years and i have tryed to make hens go broody mostly because i was young and inpation but anyways i have successfully made a buff,red,and a cochin bantam go broody this is how wait for your hen to stop laying her clucth if she does not want to sit on them find a dark area if in the chicken coop thats find just make sure she does not see alot of triffic she may break the eggs!!!put the hen in the chosen box she laid in with a crate on top of her make sure she cannot lift off use a brick or something heavy let her out with you supervising for about 20 mins. once a day untill hacth date if works out you will her a change in her voice after about two weeks a cluck cluck sound if all fails she will break eggs happen once out of probely 25 times of doing this directions!!!GOOD LUCK.........also cover up crate with sheet cut about one inch by one inch squares one on each side....