Brahma Broody for the Third Time...aged 9 months.

[pgpoultry]

Well, my Gold Brahma hen is aged just 9 months.

She started to eggs lay (well laid about 10)aged 6 months then went broody. So young, so I did my best to break her broodiness and she went back into lay (well for about a week). Then broody again, VERY broody, so I gave her eggs which she duly hatched. Her chicks are 8 weeks old. She abandoned them a few weeks ago and came back into lay.

Last night I could not find her, so, after a bit of searching discovered her where she usually lays her eggs...... sitting fast, fluffed up by the oil supply. I went to move her and she gave out the disgruntled squawk that broodies do. I lifted her and placed her with the others in the coop. All morning she behaved normally, then disappeared into the corner where she is sitting fast. I offered her an egg and she rolled it under her with lightening speed.

I am not going for a Brahma record here, but this one broody hen!

If she continues along these lines she will hatch hundreds of chicks in her lifetime.

What is your record for a hen?

Sandie

 

[Happy Chooks]

My record is none. Nobody here wants to be broody, not my brahma, not my EE, nobody.

You better get to building more coops. Sounds like you're going to need the space with that girl hatching for you!

 

[MrChicken207]

If you want a broody, KEEP HER. I agree that she might brood hundreds in her life. If she keeps up this habit, she'll be brooding about 4 clutches a year. If you have 10 or 12 eggs per clutch, and she lives for 5 years, your's looking at over 200 future birds. If you want to raise other species (ducks, geese, turkeys) a Brahma is plenty big enough to brood a few of those eggs as well (i'm thinking about 8 to 10 for ducks and turkeys, maybe 6 for geese). Good luck with the future. Would be interesting to see how she handles cooler weather.

 

[pgpoultry]

Well, Mrs Goldie Hen has 8 eggs under her now. I placed the eggs in front of her and she rolled them all under her with remarkable speed.

She had made herself a bit of a nest with dried grass right between the house wall and our domestic oil supply. We placed a makeshift fence with chicken wire around the outside and provided her with a tin roof to shelter her from the elements. We then placed her and her eggs in a cardboard box but she has chosen to rebuild her nest just outside of the box, between it and the support wall for the oil drum. Today she is happily chattering to her eggs and is firmly planted.

I am SO glad we decided to let her brood as this morning my beautiful (and seemingly very healthy) Gold Brahma boy dropped down dead.

Sandie

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
I hope you have a great hatch and 1 nice boy. Again, I'm sorry you lost your roo.

 

[Bucky182]

where did you get her at? I would love to have a good broody hen!!!

 

[pgpoultry]

I bought eggs on eBay.......... and when she goes broody her friend Dark Brahma does the same!(So, though hatch rates may be lower with posted eggs, they can come up trumps)

I think it may be excess roosters that persuade her to go broody, she thinks that 5 or 6 weeks in a broody coop is easy in comparison with the constant chasing from the boys (AND she re-grows her back feathers and can take off her saddle....however she loses her chest feathers!)

Some hens are just good for brooding, and my Brahma can cover SUCH a lot of eggs,

Sandie