Breeding silkied Cochin bantams to the Standard

[JacinLarkwell]

I have a large fowl Cochin who, disappointingly, has failed to go broody over 2 years.

My bantam barred will brood great and then kill any chicks that hatch under her. Doesn't care about other hens and chicks, just not hers

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I have a large fowl Cochin who, disappointingly, has failed to go broody over 2 years.

My two large fowl Cochins only went broody a few times in their lives (they're both still here, just so old that they don't lay much anymore let alone going broody!). The bantams, though, PHEW! My silkied Reds go broody in late spring to early summer every year and literally sit in broody jail all summer because they never break. Usually I only hatch maybe once or twice in the spring so I haven't had a need for their obsessive broodying before now. This year might finally be their year, though!

My bantam barred will brood great and then kill any chicks that hatch under her. Doesn't care about other hens and chicks, just not hers

Here's hoping Athena isn't like that! So far she's just extra grumpy and wanting to sit in the nest when she isn't out grumping everyone, but she's such a sweet girl and doesn't even peck when I reach into the nest with her.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

My two large fowl Cochins only went broody a few times in their lives. The bantams, though, PHEW! My silkied Reds go broody in late spring to early summer every year and literally sit in broody jail all summer because they never break. Usually I only hatch maybe once or twice in the spring so I haven't had a need for their obsessive broodying before now. This year might finally be their year, though!




Here's hoping Athena isn't like that! So far she's just extra grumpy and wanting to sit in the nest when she isn't out grumping everyone, but she's such a sweet girl and doesn't even peck when I reach into the nest with her.

I think mine is just broken. I've had dozens of broody hens and she's the only one to consistently kill chicks she hatched.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Batch 3 is in lock down now! 4 babies still going strong in that batch!

I think mine is just broken. I've had dozens of broody hens and she's the only one to consistently kill chicks she hatched.

I've heard horror stories of similar hens. Seems to just be something that happens occasionally. Really hoping Athena doesn't turn out to be one of those hens.



Athena is still sitting so far. We're having some stormy weather today so I don't necessarily want to go out there to do this, but tomorrow I'm going to set up a cage in their coop and move her and her nest box over into it to see if she continues broodying there. Hopefully she does so that her and her babies will have a little bit of protection from the other birds.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I'm seeing draw down on two of the four eggs in lock down!! Everyone think good, strong, daytime hatch thoughts


I've also just finished setting up Athena in her own space in the coop. I moved her in her chosen box over and she looked like she was okay, but then she got up and left in a huff to grump around their pen for a few minutes. Then she returned... to the laying boxes rather than the nice private space I'd set up for her, of course. I let her nestle back down there, then moved the box she picked back over to the cage with her in it, and she seems to have settled in this time. I'll check on her in a bit and see if she's still where she belongs or not.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

We've got an air-breather

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Two more! And a lil beak sticking out

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

4 out of 4 pipped now! I'm a little bit concerned about pip number 4, though, as it's below the line where the air cell was and on the opposite side of the egg from where I expected it to pip. Still the air cell end, but away from where the air cell is, if that makes sense? Hopefully the little one has enough access to air despite its positioning and will hatch just fine.

And in other news, I have given Athena her eggs to sit on. And she seems pretty pleased with herself for it! She's a bit on the petite side even for a Cochin bantam and it didn't seem like she could cover all of the eggs I brought out to her, so we settled at 5. The remaining eggs are in the incubator. I picked out all the Boba eggs for that so that I can leg band any chicks that hatch in the incubator before transferring them out to Athena to rear.


Oh, related, we're finally having a streak of good weather, so HOPEFULLY the second pen will be built on that coop next week! Then I can finally get the Blue girls split off with their proper rooster and stop having to pinpoint whose eggs are whose for hatching!!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

4 out of 4 pipped now! I'm a little bit concerned about pip number 4, though, as it's below the line where the air cell was and on the opposite side of the egg from where I expected it to pip. Still the air cell end, but away from where the air cell is, if that makes sense? Hopefully the little one has enough access to air despite its positioning and will hatch just fine.

View attachment 3458836


And in other news, I have given Athena her eggs to sit on. And she seems pretty pleased with herself for it! She's a bit on the petite side even for a Cochin bantam and it didn't seem like she could cover all of the eggs I brought out to her, so we settled at 5. The remaining eggs are in the incubator. I picked out all the Boba eggs for that so that I can leg band any chicks that hatch in the incubator before transferring them out to Athena to rear.


Oh, related, we're finally having a streak of good weather, so HOPEFULLY the second pen will be built on that coop next week! Then I can finally get the Blue girls split off with their proper rooster and stop having to pinpoint whose eggs are whose for hatching!!

That's great! I had a silkie just go broody on me today. Gonna let her set a few days and see if it continues. If she does, I'll give her some eggs already started from the big clutch

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Oooh, good luck! What are you hatching?