Broody Hen Thread!

[Pure Poultry]

I finally got a broody and it is a Rhode Island Red. We have her isolated but she can still see her friends. We are hoping to get a chicken tractor and move her and our 2 Pekin Bantams into it. Will the Pekin be any worry to the mother or the chicks. She is a first time mother as well

 

[Pure Poultry]

 

[PD-Riverman]

You did not post any info with this picture-----------Is this your "rhode island red broody"?

 

[PD-Riverman]

I finally got a broody and it is a Rhode Island Red. We have her isolated but she can still see her friends. We are hoping to get a chicken tractor and move her and our 2 Pekin Bantams into it. Will the Pekin be any worry to the mother or the chicks. She is a first time mother as well

Did you set her-----or just allowing her to set on the eggs she had under her? How many eggs is she seting on? "Me" I like my broodies to be in a private area then I do not have to worry if she will be bothered.

 

[Pure Poultry]

Yes she is our Rhode Island Red Cross and she went broody when we were away so she sat on 2 eggs that where there but we don't have a rooster so she couldn't hatch any but when we got home we got 14 fertile eggs and moved her so she could sit on them

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I finally got a broody and it is a Rhode Island Red. We have her isolated but she can still see her friends. We are hoping to get a chicken tractor and move her and our 2 Pekin Bantams into it. Will the Pekin be any worry to the mother or the chicks. She is a first time mother as well

Usually it is best to have a mother and her chicks separate, but seeable to the flock, as busybodies tend to mess things up tromping on eggs or nosing chicks. So typically it is best to separate at least for the first couple of weeks.

Having said that, Pekin bantams are very mild and timid (generally), and are very good broodies (usually), so depending on their age, if they are pullets and not chicks themselves, you might end up with a mother and 2 aunties helping with chicks. If you decide to go that route, watch very carefully. I'm not so concerned with the bantams to the RIR mixed hen and chicks, although they could pester I suppose, but the RIR mother may do harm to the bantams if she is overly protective of her chicks if the bantams get too curious.

Lady of McCamley

 

[Pure Poultry]

She is quite flighty but good with other chickens but she is a first time mother so I don't know how protective she is

 

[PD-Riverman]

Yes she is our Rhode Island Red Cross

I guess I do not get around much but every Rhode Island Red chicken I have ever seen was----Red-----mixed colors can be something other than red but always alot of red too----but it does not matter. Can not help with the bantams answer but Good Luck with your hatch.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I guess I do not get around much but every Rhode Island Red chicken I have ever seen was----Red-----mixed colors can be something other than red but always alot of red too----but it does not matter. Can not help with the bantams answer but Good Luck with your hatch.

With a RIR mix, it would depend on which side the RIR is on and what the other side was.

Remember a commercial Black Sexlink is typically a RIR roo (or NH) over a Barred Rock hen. The pullets are black with red bleed through, some with almost no red at all. (I have one BSL gal that you would have to look hard to see any red while another has red only at the hackles while another is laced down her chest with red.)The BSL males look just like a Barred Rock with a bit more double barring effect but no red.

If you reverse the pairing, the Barred being the roo and the hen being the RIR, all the chicks look like the Barred, with little to no red bleed through (as my memory serves).

Lady of McCamley

 

[ChickyChickens]

LOL...broodies are just pooping out of my ears this month

i guess that is their way of celebrating New Years....