BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[bramblefir]

I have a bunch of feral broody hens that keep turning up. (A phenomenon common to possessors of true broody stock.) They have a nest on top of a dog pen. I keep leaving the eggs there for bait. I let them get good and broody and catch them off of there at night. I have several clutches set now in individual pens. I'm thinking of giving one some turkey eggs. That should be entertaining.

One of my big hens just decided to set again. I'm going to give her 2 or 3 goose eggs. The "chicks" might outgrow her pretty fast though.

In regards to your earlier post about broodiness in males my Langshan cock will "babysit" the chicks on occasion. He's never sat on them, but does tidbit for them and stand over top of them to protect them from the non-broody hens. The Langshan hen that he came with is my best broody - 3 clutches last year, covers 18 eggs easily, takes any chicks you give her, etc. His daughter is the one getting the goose eggs.

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

On this same topic, is broodiness inherited or learned?  If I use a broody hen of another breed to hatch my SS chicks, will they be more likely to go broody?

Broodyness is inherited not learned as though as if u were to have one broody hen it can encurage another to go broody but if u were to have a broody hen hatch it isn't going to have the baby's to be more likely to go broody

 

[hellbender]

Broodyness is inherited not learned as though as if u were to have one broody hen it can encurage another to go broody but if u were to have a broody hen hatch it isn't going to have the baby's to be more likely to go broody

EDIT: I realize my aim might be slightly oblique.

 

[Beekissed]

Well, that's disappointing. What music would you recommend I play in the coop to set the mood for broodiness? Maybe a therapist?

Here's an experiment. Try letting their eggs build up in a nest...a lot. Leave 15-25 eggs in a low, north end, private nest and see if anyone takes the bait. If you even have one hen that has a stray gene in her bod for broodiness, I doubt she'll resist a "clutch" of that magnitude in her presence, especially at this time of year. If it doesn't work this early, try again in late April/early May....that is definite broody time.

In the past I had Buff Orpingtons go broody, several other breeds, dealt with silkies and various bantams. Then I started messing with games. Broodiness is definitely inherited. Once you have seen true broodiness it becomes more clear. Any attempt to breed out the trait or mixing with lines that have had this trait diluted will leave you without the true broody instincts. A good broody does not go broody until the days are long enough, they don't foul the nest, they don't break eggs fighting over nesting areas, (if they don't have a secure and unique nesting area, they will simply stop laying) They leave the nest on the wing, and announce their presence well away from the nest, when making their daily feed and water run. There is no "might go broody". 100% of females will go broody at six, eight months, or by twelve depending on weather. The benchmark for a good broody is three clutches a year. They should set a dozen eggs or more, and should raise at least ten chicks to roosting stage. Strong maternal traits correspond with strong paternal traits. Paternal traits in chickens would mean that no adult male would "get along" with any other adult male. In breeding chickens for roosters that get along with each other, the good broody traits are lost. Here is another point of interest, some of the fiercest cocks will brood chicks and cluck just like a mother hen, set down and puff up if he hears a chick make the "I'm cold" sound. When you experience broodiness in it's homozygous form, it is a treasure. Most of the breeds that are used as occasional broodies are only broody enough to be aggravating.

Like this WR "daddy", a young cockerel who couldn't stand being separated from these CX 54 chicks, kept trying to call them up on the roost, etc. I finally let him take over brooding "his" chicks. And this was just some hatchery stock WR male someone had given me, so hatchery genetics for laying and brooding in WRs can still be pretty strong.

I sold my last silkies at a swap to an old oriental lady. Doubt if she was going to make a ramp for them. I prefer chickens without debilitating genetic mutations.

Amen to that. I don't find them worth much of anything at all....too small for meat~and, no, that dark meat don't taste any better than any other regular ol' chicken, crappy at laying, no survival instincts at all and too small to brood a large clutch of eggs, not to mention the lack of survival instincts to even protect the babies and find them food out on range.

If I were going to have to resort to getting a breed that could act as a substitute broody for a breed that didn't have that gene, I'd either get WRs, Silver Pencil Rocks or standard Cochins.

 

[Beer can]

Just inserting my opinion here on broodies. Certain breeds definitely are more prone to, I think a lot has to do with strain, where they come from, hatchery birds not only less likely, but less likely even if they do go broody less likely to do it right, have a successful hatch, mother them right if they do hatch, instinct has been bred out of them. So definitely not only genetic but bred into them over time. My father always had RIRs yrs ago for many yrs, never had a incubator. RIRs are not normally a broody breed, but his were a old farm strain that had been hatching their own chicks for many generations. I've had hatchery RIRs go broody and hatch nothing. Old timer at work who has a hundred laying at all times for selling eggs told me hatchery birds might sit but have lost the instinct to do it right from so many generations of being incubator hatched. He only keeps his layers two yrs and has a constant flow of new all broody hatched. Said his good brooders only die of old age, believe he said barred rock were his best at hatching.

 

[cyborg]

I keep a small supply of partridge Cochin's for broody moms, which has never happened for me. Instead, my most consistent broodies are BBS Ameraucanas. I have one splash am that will growl and try to take your hand off if you have the audacity to try and take her eggs.

 

[DesertChic]

I am not getting hatchery ones I want to have sop and breeder quality ones so I can show them and breed them to sell to people who want to do the same thing with them I like e white ones and the splash ones I will give them a pony tai, so they can see better and I will have them more than likely in a run most off the time and when they are out free ranging I am going to watch them so a hawk don't get them

Silkies are pretty darn cute. I still have my one Buff Silkie hen, Didi. I had to cull the two roosters because, well, they hated my husband and would constantly attack him. They were actually pretty funny to watch when they went after him because their head poofs kept them from being able to see much and they would just keep running into the bottom of his foot while he stood there shaking his head in exasperation. They weren't breeder quality though, just hatchery birds. Little Didi had it rough for a while being our only bantam hen, but then she bonded with my two frizzled EEs and the three are practically inseparable now. They even sleep together at night, all huddled together in a litter box turned nesting box. Silkies may not be the best production birds, but they are definitely some of the cutest and most charming.

 

[DesertChic]

I have a bunch of feral broody hens that keep turning up. (A phenomenon common to possessors of true broody stock.) They have a nest on top of a dog pen. I keep leaving the eggs there for bait. I let them get good and broody and catch them off of there at night. I have several clutches set now in individual pens. I'm thinking of giving one some turkey eggs. That should be entertaining.

From what I've read the turkeys would probably be better off for it. I've never raised turkeys myself but I've been told by a few people who do that they're simply not the smartest chicks and could use the extra guidance of a broody hen to teach them to eat and drink properly.

 

[Mini Meat]

I have heard that crossing to less than broody breeds can result in the offspring having more broody tendencies than the parent stock.

Has anyone noticed this?

 

[Beer can]

My father hatched out wild turkey eggs under a Japanese black bantam, pretty funny watching them follow 'mom' around when they got big Lol!