Chicken breeding?

[Rodeislandred23]

Hi guys, I was thinking about breeding my chickens when spring comes I'm new to breeding this will be my first year. So if I let my mother chicken hatch the chicks her self do I have to have a broody chicken to sit on the egg, because I don't have one and it will be hard for me to get one. Thanks for all the help!

 

[centrarchid]

You are not clear in what is written. Please clarify.


Breeding can be easy if hen is one that becomes broody and she has fertile eggs to incubate. Describe flock makeup in terms of age and breed(s).

 

[Rodeislandred23]

Hey like I have a rode island red and a domincker I'm pretty sure those are not Broodys so will they still lay on the eggs I read that you have to have a broody to lay on your eggs for the 21 days ok well will my rode island red lay on her eggs?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some breeds are more likely to go broody than others, but you never get any guarantees. RIR are usually considered to not go broody very often if at all. Some do. Dominique are generally known to go broody but you have to have enough for the averages to mean anything. One individual is not enough for averages to mean much. Any of those hens could go broody but you don’t get guarantees.

I bred my flock to go broody a lot so I can be sure of getting some broody hens this summer. Mine are from breeds that don’t go broody that much but by selectively breeding I’ve overcome that. Before I did have a broody flock, I had to use an incubator to hatch eggs. I cannot control when a hen goes broody so I still use an incubator for an early spring hatch. That’s the only way you can control when eggs will hatch and with a flock like yours, even if you get any eggs to hatch, use an incubator. But that means you need to brood the chicks yourself. If you ever do get a broody hen, hatch her eggs and save the chicks to you flock. It may take a couple of generations but it works.

Even if you got a few hens from breeds that go broody a lot, like Silkies or Cochin, you won’t have a guarantee that any will really go broody though your odds are pretty good if you have a few. You still will not be able to control when they go broody.

 

[bobbi-j]

Where do you plan on getting fertilized eggs? If you did end up with a broody, I'd recommend giving her more than one egg to increase your chances of getting a chick. There is no guarantee that all eggs will hatch. What do you plan on doing with the chicks? What about extra males you may end up with?

 

[Rodeislandred23]

I'm planning on get fertilized eggs I'm spring or summer. I'm going to keep the chicks to maybe get more hens and if I get more Roos I'm going to keep them to or give them to a my guy friend who likes roos and breeds hens I'm spring