Re: Suggestions on Getting Hens to Sit, Please

Lionhardht wrote:
We have a dozen hens (10 Plymouth Rocks, 2 Rhode Island Reds). They are
laying, on average, 11 eggs (total) daily. However, being 1yr+ old, they
have yet to sit/brood. My father says that it's because they are being fed
laying mash and whole corn. He says if we stop the laying mash, they'll go
to sitting. Is he right OR do I need to do something else?

Lion


Get yourself a silkie or a banty which should go broody readily and put the normal hen eggs under her. Like Jill says, you don't want your best layers to go broody. To keep the line going you will also need a good rooster, maybe in your case a Rock if they are on average the best layers.

You can pen up the rooster and two or three hens for a week or so to collect the eggs from the best. A small bantam will cover no more than 10 hen eggs, 6-8 is better. An incubator is another option but a whole different ball game.

Keep us posted.

Ginny
.

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