Welsh Harlequin

[nayeli]

My welshie went broody at just 9 months old! She has been sitting for two days and is hissing anytime I get near!

 

[OzarkCountryGirl]

My welshie went broody at just 9 months old! She has been sitting for two days and is hissing anytime I get near!

Mine is doing the same thing, but she's going on 8 years old. They are such good mommas.

I didn't have any fertile eggs so had to run out and find some. Since all I could find were chicken eggs, that's what she's on. But that's ok, as she's experienced in hatching out and brooding chicks. While she's never tried to lead her chicks to water in the past, I keep her up away from the pool as long as she's brooding chicks, just in case.

 

[nayeli]

Mine is doing the same thing, but she's going on 8 years old. They are such good mommas.

I didn't have any fertile eggs so had to run out and find some. Since all I could find were chicken eggs, that's what she's on. But that's ok, as she's experienced in hatching out and brooding chicks. While she's never tried to lead her chicks to water in the past, I keep her up away from the pool as long as she's brooding chicks, just in case.

I think its funny because so many people say Welsh Harlequins aren't broody and mine is not even a year old and has gone broody =)

She is so funny when she hisses though!

We had just put some other ducks out with them and since she nested in the coop I removed the other ducks and put them back in the chicken tractor LOL they are pretty mad...

 

[OzarkCountryGirl]

I think its funny because so many people say Welsh Harlequins aren't broody and mine is not even a year old and has gone broody =)

She is so funny when she hisses though!

We had just put some other ducks out with them and since she nested in the coop I removed the other ducks and put them back in the chicken tractor LOL they are pretty mad...

I've heard the same thing, so you and I just must be blessed with a couple of the rare ones that go broody.

Red Sex Link chickens aren't supposed to go broody either, but I have a young Red Sex Link hen that hatched out 10 chicks last month and is a very protective mom. And I couldn't be happier.

 

[subhanalah]

I think its funny because so many people say Welsh Harlequins aren't broody and mine is not even a year old and has gone broody =)

She is so funny when she hisses though! 

We had just put some other ducks out with them and since she nested in the coop I removed the other ducks and put them back in the chicken tractor LOL they are pretty mad...

all the literature states they are a broody breed.

 

[Muse7]

People say the Runners are horrible moms too, but my Blue runner hen raised my first batch of ducklings when she was only two weeks, and I put all my new
babies with her first to introduce them to the flock. She is also the only hen in my flock who tried to go broody this year. I found her nest under the duck house after she had already collected 6 eggs.

I really believe this little critters are so individual, even though they insist on following a leader all over the place, that the general rules have to be looked at in just that manner, generally.

Anyway, I have a 8 eggs in the incubator right now. We started with 14 and had 6 clear. I'm going to keep two hens to add to my flock but should have 6 available for sale. I'm in the Philadelphia, PA area.

The little ones will be crosses. Some 1/2 chocolate runner (Metzer hen)/1/4 WH 1/4 Cayuga (Drake). Both the WH hen and Cayuga Drake that the Drake came from were Holderread.

Some will be 3/4 Cayuga (Cayuga Metzer hen) 1/4 WH (Same drake as above).

Both the hens are great layers (the Cayuga really surprised me, she has been laying daily since Mid February). The Runner has been almost daily, maybe missed 5 days over the same time period.

I'm going to be asking $5 for each and duckling must be picked up.

Let me ,know if anyone is close and has interest.

Liz

 

[OzarkCountryGirl]

all the literature states they are a broody breed.

I've had 60+ WH, and she's the only one I've had go broody....and she does it every year. The others are way to busy laying.

 

[subhanalah]

I've had 60+ WH, and she's the only one I've had go broody....and she does it every year.  The others are way to busy laying.

I hope mine are too distracted with laying to think about going broody! Lol.

 

[nayeli]

I've heard the same thing, so you and I just must be blessed with a couple of the rare ones that go broody.

Red Sex Link chickens aren't supposed to go broody either, but I have a young Red Sex Link hen that hatched out 10 chicks last month and is a very protective mom. And I couldn't be happier.

We will see. My ducklings aren't laying yet and one of them is a cripple so I feel like she may go broody just because its hard for her to get very far (she gets tired quickly). So far its been 4 days so 23 more and I'll have ducklings!

 

[northernlivie]

Just had my girls up on the lawn from the pond to explore and boy did they love it with all that clover!