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You're talking about probably millions of unrelated birds at the point where they say the mutation occurred. But mutation does not "spread" except to progeny. If a mutation occurred, how did it "infect" birds on the other side of the world to the point that the mutation is in nearly (?) all...

Ah! I put the adolescent boys in the bachelor pad this week, and one of the hens disappeared the next day. I haven't found her nest yet. She may have been waiting for the boys to be gone.

One thing I have noticed--may be a coincidence--is that since one of the hens went broody the roo is loud and obnoxious about warning of predators. A couple days ago it was a bunny. :) But I hear this screaming racket at the far side of the yard from where the broody is sitting. Almost like he's...

Did it indicate whether the mutation came from a single bird? I can't see the same mutation popping up in hundreds of carefully maintained heirloom breeds simultaneously.

Being able to approximate when one is close to going broody would be a big help. If this pattern exists, I wonder if it resets with the seasonal molt?

I think I may have figured out the problem. She and her Speckled Sussex sister. The temperatures get high, they stop eating and just hunch miserably in the shade. I bring them into an air conditioned house, they start eating and drinking. No treatment works once they get put outside again. No...

Interesting. So that should be another question--does the keeper remove all eggs, or leave some in the nest? And how does that affect broodiness? I remove all eggs, so the only broodies I would get are "broken" in this sense.

Ok. From my records, which are anything but complete and cover only 4 hens that go broody. 1-BA. From first lay to first broody was 70+ eggs. All her eggs were taken by a snake. From broody 1 to broody 2, 18 eggs. Broody 3, 94 eggs. Broody 4, 78 eggs. Currently raising chicks. 2-JG. To first...

No, you said "The whole genetics completely determines behaviour is just plain wrong. It's not that genes don't play their role but there is a balance in there somewhere between environment and genes." Therefore, both genes and environment need to be taken into consideration.

What?! Nature vs nurture is complicated??? 🤣

In plant breeding, sometimes all that is needed is a cross between two inbred lines to bring things back into balance.

Sorry, that got posted before I was finished.

And yet, many of those congenital diseases are recessives, reinforced by the extreme genetic bottlenecks in our racial history. Chickens have a similar genetic bottleneck, or several, and we have far more flexibility with chickens.

But again, it seems to be a graduated scale rather than an absolute, because some will go broody on four fake eggs while others amass 20 or more before they stop laying. This suggests that even in this tiny piece of the brooding process multiple genes and multiple triggers are involved.

I considered that, but I thought it would make the poll really unwieldy. How would you structure it to include breed?

Each item is sepatate. The yes-no piece would slways be "yes" since you do have broody birds. If you buy them from a feed store they were definitely incubated. The free range question would be "yes, I don't free range." The rooster question be "Yes, I don't have a rooster," and so on.

Ok, I started a poll https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/informal-research-poll-on-broodiness.1625107/

Do you have chickens that go broody? I am curious to see if there are even mild similarities in management.

I think there are a number of aspects to this. One, yes, is fat storage. Most female animals have some way of storing fat or nutrients. Also, most animals far below optimum weight or calorie count have fewer children. There are many possible factors. But I also firmly believe that certain...

Working with the birds you had, I'm sure most of those susceptible to disease had been weeded out before you got them.