This study aimed to assess improved brooding materials for increasing hatchability of eggs by deshi broody hens. Investigation was carried out in three villages of Jagat ballavpur block, Howrah district (WB) to identify the farmers ’ practice which exists moreover using approximate 500 gm rice husk spread on to a bamboo basket but results in poor hatchability and drew intervention as Technology Option-1 and Technology Option-2 formulated taking 100 gm chopped paddy straw and 250 gm husk spread on to a gunny bag set in a bamboo basket; and 1 kg saw dust, 250 gm husk and 50 gm chopped paddy straw spread on to a bamboo basket, respectively. A total of 300 hatch able eggs of Rhode Island Red (RIR) chicken and defined brooding materials were provided to the 30 numbers of deshi broody hen keepers for setting 10 numbers of eggs under each broody hens under three different defined technology options each covering 10 numbers of individual brooding units during the end of January, 2014. Candling was done to discard unfertile eggs on 7th and 14th day of the setting, investigated for dead embryo in shell if any and accordingly maintained records for each step of hatching. Per cent dead embryo in shell, fertility, total egg set (TES) and fertile egg set (FES) basis hatchability and benefit cost ratio (BCR) were calculated under each broody hens and these calculated data was analyzed by Least Squares Analysis of Variance (Harvey, 1990) taking technology options as fixed effect in the statistical model followed by CD Test at 5 per cent level of probability of significance to assess the critical differences among the least squares means under different defined technology options. Least squares analysis of variance elucidates that all the traits varied significantly among the three defined technology options but CD test (p<0.05) clarified that technology option-1 and 2 did not differ significantly for percent dead embryo in shell and fertile egg set basis percent hatchability. Similarly, farmers ’ practice and technology option-1 did not differ significantly for percent fertility

Keyword: Brooding medium; Broody hens; Bead embryo in shell; Fertility