Best Broody Chickens

[DementedHam]

I'm going to be receiving new chicks pretty soon but plan on buying more. What breed gets broody all the time or frequently?

Unfortunately I have horrible luck. I have read in many places that both leghorns and barred rocks get broody symptoms but overall never get broody.

[It's true.

They have fooled me many times.]

Any helpful information would be great. Thank You.

 

[DementedHam]

I want chickies!

 

[jessupfamily]

We have tons of babies hatched from very broody Light Brahmas (from the past 4 years). We have 1 that has raised 2 broods in 1 year for 2 years in a row! And she never kicked the first brood out, they would wonder off to eat and drink while she was sitting again, then come back to the nest and sit with her, and they were a couple months old at that time. It was really sweet

!! When she brought the second brood out she had big overgrown chicks and itty bitty chicks all pecking around with her (Now that's what I call attachment parenting

!). Our partridge Rocks have also been good sitters and mamas. We now have a Buff Orpington hatching babies and seems to be very protective! In general I think Brahmas are the best mamas.
Although our black Silkie Rooster "Motorcycle" is pretty broody himself, we call him the "egg sitter" when the girls get up to eat and drink he sits on their eggs

for them until they return. It's really cute!!
Amy J.

 

[speckledhen]

I have a Buff Orpington hen that is a fantastic broody. She even wanted to adopt the 25, two-week-old chicks in the nursery pen next to her broody pen. She acted like we were keeping them from her! She is wonderful and huge and can cover alot of eggs, if need be.

 

[greyfields]

Broodiness seems to me to be a characteristic of the individual chicken, rather than the breed. You can find charts which say some breeds are more likely to go broody than others; however you will find examples from all breeds which will go broody.

 

[bayouchica]

Buff Orps for sure & they are the best mothers.

 

[missusduray]

I have 3 buff orp hens that WILL NOT get broody! No matter what I try those girls will not sit on eggs!. I just ordered Buff Brahmas in hope that they will grow up to be good egg sitters. Good luck to you! I hope that you find one that will go broody for you. I know I am hopeful!

Kristyne

 

[jessupfamily]

I've also heard that chickens raised by their own mamas will be more likely to be broody and good mamas. It seems true for us.
Amy J.

 

[wlz77]

my silkies are very broody, they take eggs from each others nests. they do this when one goes out side to eat. it like they pick up the slack for each other. we now just keep removing the eggs.

 

[Frozen Feathers]

Silkies! I have an Australorp that has gone broody as well.