Broody breeds

[Offshoreorca]

What? Do you mean does anyone have cochins just for egg laying? My cochin is my worst egg layer. She lays maybe 1-2 a week. She starts molting sooner and starts laying later than all of my other hens, and stops laying when temps are above 85. Hands down the worst egg layer. She's sweet though.

Sounds like you didn't luck out with your cochin in the laying/brooding department! Sorry to hear that. We have one we got from a neighbour that isn't our best layer, but all the other ones have been good and predictable. I think once and a while you can get a chicken in any breed that doesn't work out as well as you would like.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Sounds like you didn't luck out with your cochin in the laying/brooding department! Sorry to hear that.

To be fair, she is four now, but she was this way when we got her at age 2. I should have mentioned that in earlier posts. She's getting super close to retirement!

 

[sylviethecochin]

My experience is that hatcheries have bred the broodiness out of their chickens. Out of the three silkies (Five Day Farms stock, I believe) two were not broody, and Kung-Fu only went broody twice. I went to a farm auction and bought some mixed chicks from someone's accidental clutch. Within six months, I had broodies. Decent, not spectacular layers.

Then everything started going broody, even two of the Leghorns and a Production Red. I'm with the people who say that broodiness is contagious.

Short line. If you want broodiness, you can: resign yourself to really poor egg production and get a silkie, Old English, or a cochin (etc.) [EDT: game hens are mean, but they're not nearly as mean or territorial as the roosters, and can be kept with a normal flock.]
decide it doesn't really matter that much and go with luck of the draw (Buff Orps, Australorps, etc.)
Buy from a breeder who encourages that sort of thing, while still breeding for good egg production. And many breeders focus on one or the other. They will almost certainly not lay as well as hatchery-variety chickens.

 

[Offshoreorca]

To be fair, she is four now, but she was this way when we got her at age 2. I should have mentioned that in earlier posts. She's getting super close to retirement!

Cochins definitely aren't as productive as breeds bred specifically for laying! I can attest to that. And yes, egg production is apparently best during the first two years of laying with any bird. The cochin we have that doesn't produce much is always broody If @Morgk is out for laying hens specifically, one of the other breeds would probably suite their needs better!

 

[Morgk]

Cochins definitely aren't as productive as breeds bred specifically for laying! I can attest to that. And yes, egg production is apparently best during the first two years of laying with any bird. The cochin we have that doesn't produce much is always broody If @Morgk is out for laying hens specifically, one of the other breeds would probably suite their needs better!

I’m looking for best broody hens but eggs are always good too

 

[Morgk]

From other people for broody hens is
Buff Orpingtons
Cochin
Brahma
Sometimes Sussex
Wyandotte’s are they good??

 

[besorto]

My buff orpington chickens have never felt the urge to go broody, but my speckled Sussex hen is a wonderful mother. She goes broody more frequently than my cochin (who hatches around 3-4 clutches a year). My wyandotte hens are all lousy mothers though, wouldn't trust them to sit on rocks.

 

[besorto]

For broodiness AND eggs, I'd go for Australorps. Mine have never let me down and they're hatchery stock.

 

[Offshoreorca]

From other people for broody hens is
Buff Orpingtons
Cochin
Brahma
Sometimes Sussex
Wyandotte’s are they good??

I think, as has been mentioned before, that where you get them is important too. Find eggs/chicks from sources where the parent stock is known to brood as sometimes hatchery stock doesn't to this well. I've had some hatchery stock birds that do brood though. Even within broody breeds you'll have some birds that brood well and others that don't.

 

[Morgk]

What about welsummers for broody