Broody found on ten eggs after vacation

[Lady of McCamley]

Also shes a year old buff brahma

Thank you very much. I for now just hustled out there and stuck them back under her. I will decide tomorrow morning. I'm getting over being sick and its late here. If I let her hatch any it would probably just be those four then. IF they hatch. But, my rooster was a rhode island red...and she is a buff brahma, I know their chicks would technically be mutts, but would hens from them still lay eggs and such? And would a rooster be not as mean as a purebred RIR?

Sounds like a good idea to just put the chicken eggs back and decide tomorrow when you feel better and aren't tired.

I definitely like to use my broodies (that's the only way I get new chickens now). I also love my barnyard mixes. They are healthier and seem to lay longer than most of the commercial breeds.

Yes. RIR roosters can be jerks. A hybrid of RIR and BO would be an excellent layer. RIR are excellent layers. BO are dual purpose, good layer with more carcass for meat. Your chicks would grow into buff colored birds (according to the chicken calculator) that are bigger than RIR, smaller than BO, and better layers than BO.

BO is generally much better tempered than RIR, so that should cool the RIR blood. However, every rooster is unique in itself, so no promises. But, you should have a good chance of getting a decent rooster. Many BO boys are very sweet.

I personally would go for it. I think you'll be pleased.

LofMc

 

[Iluveggers]

Agree with the above! Brahmas are known to be more gentle. Hopefully you would get the best of both breeds, a large, gentle bird who lays a good amount of eggs! Good luck, and keep us posted on how it goes!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hope you are feeling better. It can be rough trying to make decisions and get things done when you aren't doing well.

My suggestion is going to be slightly different as I don't think you know how long each individual egg has been under her. You could be setting yourself up for a staggered hatch, which means the hatch is spread out over several days. Those are extremely stressful and often not very successful. I think right now you have four eggs under her.

First I'd mark those four eggs so I can tell which ones they are. I use a black Sharpie, easy to see. Then start collecting the eggs you want her to hatch so you can start them at the same time. Your eggs should still be fertile from that rooster.

After you have all the eggs you want her to hatch mark those and swap them out for the original four. Boil those four and crumble them up so you can feed them back to the chickens. Then, every day after the others have finished laying, check under the broody and remove any eggs that don't belong. As long as you remove them daily you can eat them or sell them, you won't see anything inside. If you don't remove them daily you may see some development.

Other than that, I agree with the Lady. Breeds are a manmade thing, developed through selective breeding. Chickens do not recognize breeds, they just recognize each other as chickens. Many of us have mixed breed crosses that lay well and taste pretty good. To me there is nothing wrong with cross breeds as long as they suit your goals. If you are not breeding for show or trying to develop a new breed or color cross breeds may suit you very well.

In my opinion a rooster of any breed can be a jerk or they can be great. It very much depends on the individual. If you read enough on this forum you can find stories where RIR, BO, Silkies, Barred Rock, Brahma, or any other breed of roosters were jerks, and some stories where they were good. Good luck on keeping a boy from that hatch. I'd try that.

The odds of each egg producing a boy or girl are 50-50. That does not mean if you hatch two eggs you get one boy and one girl. You might get two boys, two girls, or one of each. The odds with two eggs hatching are that you will get at least one boy 3 out of 4 times. With three eggs hatching those odds of at least one boy change to 7 out of 8 hatches. With four eggs hatching they change to 15 out of 16 times. Not all eggs that you put under a broody hen hatch. If your purpose in hatching is to get another rooster you might want to set a few eggs. You will likely get a few boys to deal with and choose between but I once got 7 pullets out of 7. The odds of that were less than one in a hundred. You never know what will actually happen.

Good luck and let us know what happens.

 

[picklestheduck]

Ok. So as I said I was sick...well I wasn't thinking straight and I just thought this morning, the eggs under the broody hen are not all hers...if any. I also have a light brahma, buff orpingtons, and golden laced wyandottes. I also have a RIR hen but I know they aren't her eggs. I really don't know whose eggs are whose... I have my guesses... but I'm not sure. I need to leave in a few minutes to go to an appointment, and will probably be gone for several hours. I pulled all but 5 of them and marked them with pencil because some hens snuck some more eggs under her this morning.