BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[hellbender]

Haa Haaa sorry, but I guess you did sort of bring it all upon yourself!!
I like goats myself. But I don't want any.

The milk and cheese are luxurious products that we would find hard to do without.

The whey alone helps keep our pigs in peak condition.

 

[stryker]

It would be a miracle if she survived, going down to 0 oF later this week. I think she must have been caught by a coyote while she was broody, or she certainly will be- she would be easy pickings. I've seen absolutely no sign of her.
On the plus side (well sort of, I don't want chicks right now!) another Cornish has gone broody, she's a nice broody and doesn't peck me when I toss her outside off the nest box. At least she's chosen a nest box.

I got tired of throwing my broody hen out of the nest. I now just leave her alone and get the eggs with gloves. I already have them on since we are in the iceage and I cannot wait until spring. I am tempted to give her about 20 eggs in March if she is still broody.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

I got tired of throwing my broody hen out of the nest. I now just leave her alone and get the eggs with gloves. I already have them on since we are in the iceage and I cannot wait until spring. I am tempted to give her about 20 eggs in March if she is still broody.

Happy new year!

Being broody seriously weakens them , they don't eat or drink enough, they lose a lot of weight- they are meant to be broody for only 3 weeks. Might as well let her hatch something out then.

 

[DesertChic]

I got tired of throwing my broody hen out of the nest. I now just leave her alone and get the eggs with gloves. I already have them on since we are in the iceage and I cannot wait until spring. I am tempted to give her about 20 eggs in March if she is still broody.

If you have access to a metal dog cage...the type with the metal pull-out tray for easy cleaning...I've found that they prove exceptionally helpful in breaking a broody hen safely. The metal bottom stays cool to help lower their abdominal temperature. And since it's winter, I've employed the technique of keeping them in the kennel with food and water in the daytime, and then moving them to their usual roosts at night so the cold air can circulate around their abdomens. The last two that I broke only took 2-3 days of doing this before rejoining their flock.

 

[DesertChic]

That's right...go head and have a laugh on 'ol hellbender. I have broad shoulders and can take it.

Lot laughing AT you....we're laughing WITH you.

I'm just glad your children take pity on you. When I watched my neighbors' goats while they were traveling that buck was just about the end of me. I had to resort to holding him down by his horns while my son topped off feed and water for both the goats and the hens that housed in the same area with with.

 

[hellbender]

Lot laughing AT you....we're laughing WITH you.

I'm just glad your children take pity on you. When I watched my neighbors' goats while they were traveling that buck was just about the end of me. I had to resort to holding him down by his horns while my son topped off feed and water for both the goats and the hens that housed in the same area with with.

I know everyone's just having fun...me too. I dis-bud all kids when they're 10 to 14 days old. Won't have a horned goat around here. too much chance of the goats injuring each other, even in play.

 

[bnjrob]

Quote:
I use a rabbit cage as a broody breaker cage. It has a small wire mesh bottom that can be moved so that it sits an inch or two above the ground to let the air circulate underneath. It's big enough for one of my large-fowl hens to stretch her legs and wings in and to have cage-mounted food and water dishes.

 

[DesertChic]

I had what was, for me, an interesting learning experience today. After much deliberation I had finally decided to discard my plans to breed frizzled and smooth Easter Eggers for chick sales, choosing instead to cull the not-so-great cockerels and keep the pullets for their blue egg production. I culled the first of the three cockerels today at 30 weeks, and I'd selected him to be first because he seemed so much meatier than the other two for his size, with really impressive breast meat as far as I could tell through all his feathering. I've been wondering why, despite his twin being so long,lean and significantly larger in size, this bird (named Bear) was so much heavier. Well, when I butchered him, I discovered he had only one testicle, and that lone organ was much smaller that what I've found in any of the other birds I've butchered including the Silkies. I'm thinking he was born an "almost capon" with just enough testosterone to make him annoyingly frisky with the girls, but not enough to lean him out like the other cockerels.

He processed out at almost 3 lbs. exactly. I neglected to take photos, but once he's done brining in a few days I'll try to remember and post.

 

[draye]

I got tired of throwing my broody hen out of the nest. I now just leave her alone and get the eggs with gloves. I already have them on since we are in the iceage and I cannot wait until spring. I am tempted to give her about 20 eggs in March if she is still broody.

An aspirin will help them stop setting. Just dissolve it in the drinking water.

 

[lpatelski]

I pick up all the eggs everyday...my thought is no eggs...no broody hens in my coop.

In fact a third of my hens wait until I gather to lay their eggs. I pick up all the eggs and by the time I'm done I go around again and get 3 more.