Best time ?

[ericchris]

When is the best time to let your chickens and turkeys go broody ? Because this spring i would like to have some new chickens and turkeys to get my flock bigger then what it is but i am new at this and realy would like some help with all this and that is why i am asking everyone here for some help . I just started getting more chickens and turkeys in the late summer and early fall but i would like to hatch some on my own so i can watch them all grow up with a mommy and watch them teach the young what to do so if anyone can help me please let me know . I will be posting pics from day one till they are full adults .
Please and thank you very much .

 

[HEChicken]

It isn't so much "letting" them go broody as waiting until they do. Broodiness is determined by hormones so they tend to do it when they're good and ready. I've had hens go broody in spring, mid-summer and have one who just started a couple of days ago, mid-Fall and headed into winter.

I am new to turkeys but as I understand it, they are seasonal layers so will likely start to lay in the spring and with luck, will show an interest in hatching out some of their eggs. However it does depend on what kind of turkeys you have. The BBW and BBB are bred for meat and tend to grow too heavy to breed naturally. The heritage breeds on the other hand, are pretty self-sufficient.

 

[n8ivetxn]

The heritage breeds of chickens are also good for broodiness... I love my broodies I have 2 French Marans that hatched 2x this year, recently in late September....

It makes raising chicks so much easier and healthier - I don't have to worry about "childhood" diseases so much (like cocci).