Broody Breeds?

[GuineaLady93]

Would a RIR be a good broody hen?

 

[Cowgirl71]

Quote:
RIRs rarely go broody.

I did have 1 out of 11 RIR hens go broody last year. But she quit on her own after only a week. Luckily I hadn't given her any eggs yet. I like to wait several days before giving hens eggs, just to make sure they're serious. She's the only hen I've ever had who has failed this test. My Orpingtons and Wyandottes are persistent, LOL.

 

[GuineaLady93]

Quote:
RIRs rarely go broody.

I did have 1 out of 11 RIR hens go broody last year. But she quit on her own after only a week. Luckily I hadn't given her any eggs yet. I like to wait several days before giving hens eggs, just to make sure they're serious. She's the only hen I've ever had who has failed this test. My Orpingtons and Wyandottes are persistent, LOL.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/48412_copy_of_liesls_pics_538.jpg

I don't understand. When you said you haven't given her any eggs...why did she go broody? Can they just go broody on a empty nest??
Sorry for all the questions but don't know that much about chickens. First year I've had them.

 

[busyteacher]

I have a Buff Arlington that went broody several days ago so I put someegss under her yesterday. This is the third or fourth time she has done this so we finally gave in and gave her something to sit on.

 

[wood&feathers]

The Marans in my flock are all good broodies. What I can't figure is their timing - they all seem to go broody late in the summer, end of July to mid August. I was under the impression broodies commonly happen in the late spring, triggered by the lengthening days. My girls are consistently late.

 

[wood&feathers]

Forgot to mention - my production reds are either not at all broody or fakers. My boss hen, Hawk, is a production red. She likes to act broody just long enough to encourage the Marans! In a way she is a good cheerleader - whenever they get off the nest she jumps on and puffs up and makes them fight to get the nest back. She "lets" them win.

 

[10 point]

Quote:
RIRs rarely go broody.

I did have 1 out of 11 RIR hens go broody last year. But she quit on her own after only a week. Luckily I hadn't given her any eggs yet. I like to wait several days before giving hens eggs, just to make sure they're serious. She's the only hen I've ever had who has failed this test. My Orpingtons and Wyandottes are persistent, LOL.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/48412_copy_of_liesls_pics_538.jpg

I don't understand. When you said you haven't given her any eggs...why did she go broody? Can they just go broody on a empty nest??
Sorry for all the questions but don't know that much about chickens. First year I've had them.

they can go broody on an empty nest mine do it all the time

wyandottes and orpingtons seem to be my repeat offenders

 

[Cowgirl71]

Quote:
A hen can go broody on an empty nest, though seeing eggs in the nest helps trigger their instincts. My favorite broodies are the ones that pick a nest and stick with it, regardless of whether it has no eggs or a dozen eggs. These are the hens that can sit on eggs without being separated from the flock. You can always trust them to return to their proper nest, rather than leaving their eggs to chill in favor of another nest.

For my RIR hen last year... The nests were empty, but over the course of the day some of the other hens would lay eggs. Every afternoon I would collect up all of the eggs that had been laid (usually about 2-3 per nest).

Seeing a nest full of eggs can help trigger a hen to go broody, but it's not a given. Many people recommend using golf balls or wooden eggs, because real eggs will often be rotten by the time the hen decides to set.

BTW, you know you have a REAL broody when they stay on the nest overnight for 2-3 nights in a row. Also, when lifted out of the nest and set on the ground they just set on the ground clucking, with all their feathers poofed out.

 

[GuineaLady93]

Since Buff Orpington are good broody hens do you think if I put some eggs in a nest one of them will find them?

 

[cybercat]

Of the large breeds Partridge Rocks can not be beat. I have broodies now and they have been sitting with temps in high 90's. I broke one nest up and she stopped. Now she is sitting again. Just had one broodie hatch 3 for me. I have 6 adult hens now and every one has been broodie at least once this year.