Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Natural Incubation
The most successful way to incubate chickens is the natural way with a broody hen who sits
on her eggs. However, not all breeds are natural mothers and some will not sit on eggs. Two
breeds of chickens that are known for being good broody hens are the Brahma breed and the
Silkie breed. Chickens either have the instinct to brood or not — it is not something you can
force. It is also necessary to have a rooster for fertilization if you want to hatch chicks. As
with any form of incubation, not every egg will hatch; there will always be some that fail.
The best thing to do for a broody hen is to leave her alone to do her thing as much as pos-
sible.
