How to Raise a Broody

Many modern day chicken breeders have discouraged brooding behavior in birds because they consider it a nuisance and prefer to hatch eggs via incubator, so the natural tendency to be broody has been intentionally bred out of many chickens. However, some farmers prefer to raise chicks the natural way and let hens sit on nests and hatch chicks without the assistance of an incubator. In order to do this, you will need to encourage your hens to be "broody" and stay on the nest to hatch the eggs. There are breeds that are more likely to be broody than others. Be aware, however, that broody hens will be less efficient egg producers.

Things You'll Need

  • Hen house
  • Nest boxes
  • Chicken feed
  • Water
  • Chick feed
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Instructions

    • 1

      Create a sub-flock of broody hens to do your egg hatching for you. Introduce Old English Games, Kraienkoopes, Malays, Shamos, Asils, Madgascar Games, Silkies, and some strains of Dorking hens to your flock. These breeds still have the natural tendency to be broody.

    • 2

      Allow the new hens to mingle with other hens until they show signs of being broody. Broody hens are very single-minded and will want to sit on the eggs almost constantly, taking only brief breaks for food and to relieve themselves. They will sometimes pull out breast feathers and become aggressive to other chickens and people who get close to the nest.

    • 3

      Move the broody hens to a separate hen house with several nesting boxes. Move the broody hen gently at night. It is best to move broody hens to a protected nest once they begin sitting tightly on the nest for a few days. This protects them from being chased off the nest by more dominant hens. It also prevents the hens from having eggs that won't all hatch on the same day. Keep food and water nearby so the hen doesn't have to go far to nourish herself while nesting.

    • 4

      Keep the new nest dark for the first day the hen is on it. Place eggs you don't care about or a couple golf balls in the new nest to encourage the hen to sit. Once she will sit on these "starter eggs" tightly for a couple days, replace them with the eggs you want her to hatch. Be sure the new nest is somewhere far away from her old old nest, or she'll just keep trying to go back.

    • 5

      Monitor the broody hens to be sure they leave the nest to eat, drink and eliminate at least once a day. Sometimes a broody hen will starve herself. Eggs may also be fouled if the hen doesn't get off the nest to eliminate. Force the hen off the nest, if necessary, to get her to eat and relieve herself.

    • 6

      Leave the hen alone when the chicks first hatch. The mother hen will sit on the chicks for 24 to 48 hours before taking them for their first walk. Make chick feed and water available for the new chicks.