Brooding is caused by a hormone called Prolactin released by the pituitary gland found behind the eyes. When Prolactin is released, the hens are urged to sit in some eggs and hatch them. Some hens go broody in the spring and summer when the days are longer, and there is ample food.
When they get the urge to go broody, they lose the feathers on the breast to make contact with the eggs and keep them warm. The hens regulate the temperature and humidity of the eggs by turning them from time to time.
Some hens are far better than others at sitting on eggs and raising chicks, but not all hens will get broody. Light and flighty breeds become broody; when they do, they are frequently not excellent mothers.
Up to a dozen medium-sized eggs can be covered by large breeds like the Australorp or Cochin, but the more eggs she has, the more probable she will break some of them. Although bantams can sit on enormous eggs, their small size limits how many they can cover. The larger duck breeds, like the Muscovy, can cover almost two dozen eggs.
There are several benefits of using a broody hen to hatch eggs and raise chicks naturally because she typically does so without much help. Unfortunately, you can’t make a hen go broody, but you can get a good idea of whether a hen will likely go broody by her breed. The only thing you can do to encourage broodiness is to let some eggs gather in the nest. Placing fake eggs in the nestbox would be even better to avoid broken eggs.
Signs of a broody hen
- She refuses to leave the nestbox.
- She becomes protective and makes a scolding sound when you get close to her.
- She puffs her feathers and peeks when you come close to her.
- Clucking
Collecting and storing hatching eggs
- Nest boxes must always be kept clean. Collect them as soon as possible to prevent other hens in the home from contaminating or breaking hatching eggs.
- Keep eggs cool away from the sunlight.
- Store eggs pointy end down on trays or in egg boxes.
- Avoid using round or very pointed eggs because they make hatching difficult.
- The most viable eggs are the medium-sized ones, not the large ones.
- We normally don’t need to stay in storage for long when hatching eggs with a broody hen.
Broody house specifications
A broody house is just a small coop with an attached run. To ensure comfortable and successful hatching, your broody house must have these features;
- Located in the shade
- Adequate ventilation
- Protection from predators and harsh weather conditions
- A quiet place away from other poultry
- A grass run for her to use when she hatches the eggs
Advantages of using a broody hen
- There’s no need to worry about the settings of an incubator since the hen does the turning.
- More eggs hatch using broody hens than incubators.
- She makes sure the eggs and chicks are kept safe.
- She successfully raises the chicks and guides them to feed.
- You don’t have to worry about power cuts.
Disadvantages of using a broody hen
- You cannot hatch as many chicks as you can with an incubator
- You must provide a broody house for the hen, even if they only hatch one chick.
- Not all broody hens are good at brooding.
Articles: HOW TO STOP A BROODY HEN- Broody Hens Guide – Broody hens – How to care for broody hens – How long does it take to hatch a chicken egg without an incubator?
