Pushing Broodiness...

[dandelionheart]

Hubby and I are thinking of expanding our flock come spring... And we were thinking of a few ways of doing that. He is against borrowing a rooster and having our own girls have their own babies and also incubating. So that leaves two options that I see: getting one of our hens to brood fertile eggs or buying chicks at the farm store. I thin I'd like 2 Welsummers, 1 Maran, and 1 white egg layer... he wants a Welsummer or two and more EEs. We have an OR that I think would be a great momma. What hens (from the variety below that I already have) would be good candidates to brood? Or would it just be easier to buy chicks? I just would like to see more of the process, hatching, etc... seems more exciting.

 

[Kittymomma]

Orpingtons are known to go broody and 2 of the three EE's that I have are also broody machines--though there was a recent thread about EE's going broody and apparently it's not all that common, mine just didn't get the memo. I'd say with three Orpingtons you have a good chance of at least one of them going broody for you sometime in the spring/summer, but it will happen when their bodies give the signal, not when you decide it's time.

ETA: I've had good luck fostering day old chicks on broody hens, but it doesn't always work so be prepared to brood them yourself if you opt to go that route. The big advantages to putting day olds under them instead of having them hatch eggs are:

1. You can get the number of chicks you want
2. You can buy sexed chicks

 

[Mahonri]

Put 3 or 4 golf balls in one nest, I think that sometimes triggers it then after two weeks, buy chicks and put them under her at night.

no need to worry about roos.