- Mar 30, 2011
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Seeking opinions from chicken experts. My 7 3/4 year old Silver Sebright Bantam Hen has gone broody and is sitting on 11 of her own wee eggs in a romantic and cool place in my garden, well hidden by the Bishops Weeds. I have seen my large Barred Rock Rooster mate with her recently. He stands up above her, with the Bantam between his legs, not crushing her or biting her comb, unlike the way he mates with the full-size hens. She never squawks or protests when he does this unique mating with her. My previous rooster, this rooster's father, never once mated with her in the 7 1/4 years they were together. Sebrights seldom go broody, I have read, but this is her 3d time to do so. My question is, what are the odds this strange mating ritual has resulted in fertilizing her eggs, and if they are fertile, what is the chance healthy chicks can hatch from such an odd alliance between "Mutt and Jeff?" Should I just let things be, or should I switch out the 11 wee eggs, replacing them with 4 fertilized full-size eggs? I'd hate for her to be disappointed after sitting on eggs for 21 days, if no babies hatched. Likewise, I hesitate to tamper with her hormones by trying to break her of her broodiness? And I'd love to see whether a tiny Bantam can hatch healthy chicks fathered by a much larger breed of rooster than her breed, as a fascinating experminent, but not if it means she'll end up not hatching any chicks and be sad. Brooding is hard work and could take a toll on an elderly hen's health? I'm glad she's in the grass and not under mite-infested wood.. My other idea is to let her sit on her own eggs for 21 days, and if they fail to hatch, slip 2 store-bought day-old baby Sebright chicks under her at night, so she'll think she hatched them herself?But would farm stores in our area have day-old Sebright chicks for sale around July 2; does anyone know? What do you think is the best scenario for my sweet little Merry Etta's best happiness?? All opinions appreciated!
