It is most likely a combination of maturity, instinct, lighting, genetics, and hormones, but some chickens are more prone to becoming broody than others.īroodiness is passed down in certain chicken breeds, especially heritage breeds that still have many of their natural instincts. There is no clear answer as to why a hen goes broody, and she’ll even sit on unfertilized eggs if that’s all she has. If she’s not in that hormonal state, it’s just not going to happen. If a chicken is not broody, she will not raise chicks even if they’re left in the nest and even if she’d otherwise be a good mother. Broodiness is a hormonal state that a hen enters when she’s ready to incubate eggs, and it comes with elevated body temperature, defensive behavior and a whole host of other behaviors that will help her raise a clutch of eggs into chicks. Not all chickens are broody, and even “broody” chickens aren’t broody all the time. What is a Broody Hen?īroody hens are hens that want to incubate eggs and raise them into chicks. In an ideal circumstance, a few broody hens can maintain a poultry flock indefinitely, without having to spend money on new chicks every few years. If you hope to have a hen raise chicks in your coop, you should opt for one of these broody chicken breeds to help ensure success. Some breeds, especially heirloom breeds, are more prone to broodiness than others. Normally, hens don’t really care if you take their eggs each day, provided you feed them, but a broody hen will fight to keep her clutch. Most articles you find concerning broody hens are all about how to discourage a broody hen, as honestly, it’s inconvenient to have a cranky hen trying to stop you from taking their eggs. These days, most chicks are raised in incubators, and many modern chicken breeds have lost the drive to “go broody.” They simply won’t set on eggs or mother chicks, and those breeds are only propagated with incubators (or the help of a broody hen from an heirloom breed). Broodiness is more common in heirloom chicken breeds, where the trait has been passed down for generations. Broody chicken breeds can hatch and raise their own chicks, and their one of the best ways to ensure a self-sustaining flock.
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