Broody Hen Thread!

[ChickyChang]

Sadly, Autumn quit being broody!

She decided it wasn't for her!!

 

[ChickyChickens]

Sadly, Autumn quit being broody!

She decided it wasn't for her!!

It's sooo stupid, guess she wasn't up for it just yet!

 

[StarMeKritten]

My first hatch of 7 Seramas will be 3 months old tomorrow and my Salmon Faverolle hen who hatched them is still mothering them! I thought she would stop like most hens do, but perhaps their small size has her believing they are still too young, even though the roosters are crowing! I put them all in their own coop and she still calls them to food and looks out for them when they are in the garden... it is so sweet. She used to be the lowest on the pecking order in the LF coop but now she is proud and has purpose, she was actually quite annoying before. So I wonder if she will just stay and live with them because they make her so happy. I have never heard of a hen mothering her chicks for so long!

My pair of broody hens (silkie/ cochin mix and frizzled cochin) are still mothering their 2 month old chicks. 3 of the chicks are bantam sized but one is a black sex link that is now bigger than her moms! It's so funny to still see mom call her over for food..

 

[16 paws]

My first hatch of 7 Seramas will be 3 months old tomorrow and my Salmon Faverolle hen who hatched them is still mothering them! I thought she would stop like most hens do, but perhaps their small size has her believing they are still too young, even though the roosters are crowing! I put them all in their own coop and she still calls them to food and looks out for them when they are in the garden... it is so sweet. She used to be the lowest on the pecking order in the LF coop but now she is proud and has purpose, she was actually quite annoying before. So I wonder if she will just stay and live with them because they make her so happy. I have never heard of a hen mothering her chicks for so long!

I love that story, how cute that must be to watch. I am glad she found purpose in life. It can be the simple things that give us all purpose in life. We dont all have to be the smartest,prettiest, the most wealthy or even be high on the pecking order. There is so much more....That is why I love having chickens. They bring us back to the basics. The simple things in life are the best!!!!!!

I love your picture of the mama with her baby in the hatchalong. Beautiful. Is the mama a frizzle?

 

[darkbluespace]

I love that story, how cute that must be to watch. I am glad she found purpose in life. It can be the simple things that give us all purpose in life. We dont all have to be the smartest,prettiest, the most wealthy or even be high on the pecking order. There is so much more....That is why I love having chickens. They bring us back to the basics. The simple things in life are the best!!!!!!

I love your picture of the mama with her baby in the hatchalong. Beautiful. Is the mama a frizzle?

It's true... and it makes me think about how annoyed I was with her because she was so loud and high maintenance... really she just wasn't feeling fulfilled. It makes me think about how I could look at chickens and, well, people differently. I never thought about what she really needed. I caught the incubating bug this summer and she was my first hen to ever go broody.

That mama is a frizzled Serama! I now have a couple little Serama frizzle hens and a couple roosters that likely have the gene so I hope to have some frizzled babies in the Spring.

 

[darkbluespace]

Ahhh, that is adorable! Even the biggest babies need love! I am hoping to hatch a few Silkies this month, I want to see the Silkie broodiness in action!!

 

[16 paws]

It's true... and it makes me think about how annoyed I was with her because she was so loud and high maintenance... really she just wasn't feeling fulfilled. It makes me think about how I could look at chickens and, well, people differently. I never thought about what she really needed. I caught the incubating bug this summer and she was my first hen to ever go broody.

That mama is a frizzled Serama! I now have a couple little Serama frizzle hens and a couple roosters that likely have the gene so I hope to have some frizzled babies in the Spring.

I would love to keep in touch with you and see some of your flock. Please post pictures. I have a frizzle bantam cochin hen and I just hatched another that I am trying to figure out if it is a pullet or cockerel. One thing I dont quite get is how you prevent 2 frizzles from mating. I heard it is a bad combination, you have to breed a frizzle to a regular non frizzle. Have you heard of that?

I used to live in Portland Oregon many years ago. In fact it has been about 48 years ago we moved to Calli. I was 11. We lived on 22nd street across from Westmoreland Park. Dont know if I spelled that right. Boy that makes me feel old! Lol It was pretty there and I so miss the green. We are in a drought here and it is hard to keep things green. How do you like living there and does it rain all the time?

Here is a picture of Hope, girl or boy?

 

[jajeanpierre]

It's true... and it makes me think about how annoyed I was with her because she was so loud and high maintenance... really she just wasn't feeling fulfilled. It makes me think about how I could look at chickens and, well, people differently. I never thought about what she really needed. I caught the incubating bug this summer and she was my first hen to ever go broody.

That mama is a frizzled Serama! I now have a couple little Serama frizzle hens and a couple roosters that likely have the gene so I hope to have some frizzled babies in the Spring.

Whatever you do, don't breed frizzle to frizzle. One frizzle gene gives a really nicely feathered bird--broad feathers bending backwards. Two frizzled genes give you a mess of a bird. Their feathers are thin and break easily. The feathers don't keep the bird warm enough. They are really hard to keep alive. I had a double copy frizzle Cochin in the kitchen all winter because she was bald from feather breakage. A proper frizzle caries on frizzle gene (Ff), and a smooth feathered bird carries no frizzle genes (ff). A double copy frizzle (often called a frazzle) has two copies of the frizzle gene (FF). The feathers will fall apart so badly they will only have the center quill left so they are basically naked except for wires. It is really hard on them physically to try to maintain their body heat. They are quite fragile.

 

[jajeanpierre]

I would love to keep in touch with you and see some of your flock. Please post pictures. I have a frizzle bantam cochin hen and I just hatched another that I am trying to figure out if it is a pullet or cockerel. One thing I dont quite get is how you prevent 2 frizzles from mating. I heard it is a bad combination, you have to breed a frizzle to a regular non frizzle. Have you heard of that?

Either you only keep only one sex that has the frizzle gene or you keep them separate. I have a double copy frizzle hen and a double copy frizzle cock bird, both Cochins. They are penned separately with the hen never being exposed to a rooster. A rooster will shred a double copy frizzle's feathers in a week even when wearing a saddle. They won't have any feathers to protect them from the rooster's spurs/claws and will suffer cuts and scrapes that could be life threatening, even when wearing a saddle.

 

[16 paws]

Either you only keep only one sex that has the frizzle gene or you keep them separate. I have a double copy frizzle hen and a double copy frizzle cock bird, both Cochins. They are penned separately with the hen never being exposed to a rooster. A rooster will shred a double copy frizzle's feathers in a week even when wearing a saddle. They won't have any feathers to protect them from the rooster's spurs/claws and will suffer cuts and scrapes that could be life threatening, even when wearing a saddle.

ok, got it. If Hope is boy I will keep him separate from the frizzle hen. Dont want any troubles.

Marie