Breeding Chickens At Home

[Aw-Ee Chicken]

Lately I've been wanting to breed and hatch my chickens at home. Well, not now; I wanted to wait until spring. With usual cold winters here, I don't want to risk the chicks getting some sicknesses.

I'm very excited and have starting planning. Some hens are good clucks, but others, will just eat the egg they sit on (for some odd reason. Usually those leghorns!) We have three separate rooms; one for storage, one for the laying hens, and the last, a spare. I want to use the spare room and house about 3 hens, each on 3 eggs. Hopefully they don't bother each other.

One of my relatives is offering German Giant eggs also. We told her we'd take some in the spring, and hatch them for her, and some for us.

Would there be downfalls to mix-breed chickens? Should bigger birds stay with bigger, and small with small; stuff like that. Like, would any weaknesses be in the mixed bird that a person doesn't want? Would anything harm the chicken?

Would anyone have any tips or pointers that would help me get the right idea? Guess I'm over-anxious and want to get started! Thank you.

 

[Pyxis]

There's no trouble with mixed breeds, you should be fine there The only downside is when you go to sell them, people may not be as interested in mixed breeds as they would be in purebreds.

However, your plans to house three hens on eggs separately may not work out for you. A hen has to go broody before she will sit on eggs, and that's something you can't force. Once she is broody and has chosen a nest and is sitting, moving her might break her of sitting, so moving her to your separate area may cause her to not sit on eggs any longer. And thirdly, breed is important - you mentioned leghorns. Some breeds, like leghorns, just are not likely to go broody since it has been bred out of them, and may not make good mothers even if they do. So if you do want hens to hatch for you, it wouldn't be a bad idea to invest in a broody breed such as a couple silkies or cochins to do your hatching for you.

 

[cavemanrich]

A chicken needs to go broody before you can put her to work. Also the breed of chicken for the job is important. Not sure what breeds you have, but silkies and cochins make excellent moms. Leghorns seldom go broody, so avoid those for the job. You can put whatever eggs under your broody hen. The chicks that hatch will be accepted by the hen as hers. You can put way more than 3 eggs under a hen. Start with one hen raising a clutch and learn from that experience. You must have fertile eggs, so make sure your rooster is working overtime LOL LOL. Yes indeed it is best to do in the warmer weather than when it is cold.
WISHING YOU BEST

 

[Aw-Ee Chicken]

Thanks for the advice! I'm probably missing a huge mistake now because of you guys.

I have Barred Rocks, Black Australorps, White Rock, Rhode Island Reds, and Leghorns. I figured the Leghorns would NEVER make good moms, but would any of the others be good clucks? I had an Australorp hatch a wild egg awhile ago... she was pretty good. If not, I'll go with the silkies and cochins.

Just started a year ago with raising chickens, so I'm not familiar with a lot of breeds. Learn as you go, right?

Again, thanks.

 

[Pyxis]

The australorps and rocks might do a clutch for you. Silkies and Cochins are good if you want serious, serial brooders.

 

[Aw-Ee Chicken]

Sounds good. Thanks!