Encourage Hens to Hatch Eggs

Reader Contribution by Troy Griepentrog
Published on April 23, 2010
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I’ve tried using a foster broody hen to raise chicks, and it can make brooding chicks easy. To use a hen to hatch eggs (or foster chicks), you first need a broody hen. We’ve heard of different things people have tried to encourage broody behavior (sitting on eggs to hatch them), so in a recent survey, we asked our poultry advisory group which methods have worked for them. You can see all the results of the survey, but here’s a quick look at the highlights.

Nearly 100 people took the survey. Thirty-seven people said cooping a hen in a small, dark space with a nest of eggs works sometimes. Twenty-nine people said increasing hours of daylight with artificial lighting works sometimes. Sixty-six people said selecting for broodiness in a breeding program works every time (27 people) or sometimes (39 people).

But people who took the broody hen survey said that Buff Orpingtons, Silkies, Dorkings and Ameraucanas tend to go broody easily. In the Survey of Chicken Breeds and Hybrids, Silkies, Aseels, Modern Games, Old English Games and Cochins were rated as best breeds for natural incubation.

Some of the comments people made when asked about other methods they’ve successfully used to encourage hens to go broody:

“I find just leaving wooden eggs in the nest will encourage nearly any hen who has broody ability. I don’t even have to confine them. I do find that if I locate the nest box or house in a quiet, dim area, broodiness happens faster.”

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