Are RIR's good mothers???

[bayouchica]

I'm not sure if this is the correct section.

I have a RIR hen that has been sitting on some eggs for a couple of weeks now. She is determined to be a mother,lol. Are they good a raising chics?
Thanks, Miriam

 

[mikarod]

You know...some of the best setters I've ever had were RIRs. They were generally production red and they would die for those chicks.

A bird so much as LOOKS the wrong way at the chicks my broody would attack. It was an awesome spectacle to see her attacking a rooster. Poor guy never had a chance...

 

[Chickndaddy]

Mine was the Dragon Queen until she hatched them out. I went out that morning to check on them since they were due and low and behold she's walking around the yard with the rest of the flock and two tiny little fuzzy chicks are screaming in the middle. Periodically she would run over to them and rap them on the head or sling them around and then go back to the flock. My broody Salmon Faverolle on the other side of the wire was absolutely hysterical. She was my best broody and she already had fourteen chicks of her own about a week old. But she was bound and determined to get those chicks. She had rubbed half her breast feathers off on the wire pacing. Of course when I got in the pen to check on them I could have just stomped that hen right into the ground. She had completely scalped those two (one way worse than the other) and they were covered in fire ants. I scooped them up and brushed the ants of and out Neosporin on them and gave them to the Salmon. One chick died shortly after from shock and the other died a few days later. It was the saddest thing to watch her fussing over those two babies like her 14 weren't enough. To add insult to injury I also lost the other 10 eggs in the nest because she wouldn't sit on them and they got too cold. I never let her set again. However I'm sure my case is not the norm and you'll never know if she's not going to be a good mother till you try.

 

[bayouchica]

I usually pen new mothers up with their chics & keep a close eye. I've had one Buff Orp who was a terrible mother,so ya never know. We'll see what happens.

Thank you,Miriam

 

[PeeperKeeper]

My Mom raised RIRs when I was a kid BUT... she would always have 2 or 3 banty hens that she'd slip the RIR's eggs under for them to hatch and raise.

 

[ginasmarans]

You never can tell. I had 4 white leghorn hens go broody this year. One never managed to hatch chicks,even after 2 tries,but the other 3 were good mothers.

 

[luvzmybabz]

My older RIR made the best momma she was even, are you sitting down?, SO SWEET

, while she was sitting she was flighty before and after but while she was sitting she got her own pen and loved being petted on and cooed to. Now the other 2 broodies I have had will take a finger off if given the chance un .