a few questions

Happyhenz

Songster
12 Years
Aug 15, 2007
100
0
129
Canberra Australia
Hi all im new here.
Im just getting back into chooks after i stopped breeding bantys in my teenage years(pets not show)
Hubby and the kids and I are building up our backyard flock with leghornxnew hampshires and a couple of silkies(just coz they are so cute)

Im also picking up a couple of what the farmer told me are called "light-liners?"
and some Australopes in a few weeks.

I have a couple of questions for some smart chooky folk.

1. i bought the hens for $5 eac from a barn style egg farm that is closing down, they are 18mths old.
They have NEVER been with a rooster before and never allowed to go broody. my ? is will they go broody now that they have the room and boxes and that a rooster is in there?

2.theya re VERY bossy towards my silky roo who of course all his xmas's have come at once with these tall leggy birds moving in, he can olny seem to mate them if he corners them or some how sneak up on them otherwise they chase him, ? Do they maybe need a bigger rooster who doesnt take any nonsense from them?

3.How easy is it to build an incubator just small one?
i had one when i was a kid made out of an old esky but over the years seems to have gone walkabout. any help would be great.

Cheers Happyhenz
 
Being broody's a hormonal thing...I even had my Leghorn do broody last summer...Leghorn's aren't none for being broody either. Penny, my Silkie mix will go broody after a dozen eggs and she'll stick too. No roo so no chicks.
Any size roo can and will service a hen...It's certainly possible that your bantie roo can fertilize a standard hen. Since the girls have never been with a roo, they're trying to establish their pecking order with him.
I don't have any incubator help though...good luck with your birdies.
 
Thankyou for your response:)

I thought he was big enough to do the job but just wasnt sure.
this is the first lot of hens i have had from a commerical setting and the first leghorns.

Before that were banties and Australopes which are great mums.

Im seriously looking at more silkies as i only have the one hen so far.
and of course an incubator.

Thanks again

Happyhenz
 
There are some threads about building your own incubator out of a styrofoam cooler for low $$. Do a search for 'cooler' or 'incubator' or just browse the category for incubating.

Welcome!
 

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