Broody Hen Thread!

[varidgerunner]

Reliable broodiness at six to eight months of age and easy handling. Won't let other chickens bully them or their babies. Cover large clutches without egg breakage. Sounds like a job for a game hen. I kept large fowl cochins for years, had silkies, lot's of various heritage breeds. Saw nothing I would call "reliable". Had to have an incubator on standby. Silkies hatch OK, them and OEG bantams are about the most dependable thing you can find at all hatcheries and feed stores. I never had much luck with the silkies raising chicks. They just don't have the persona needed to make everything give wide birth to their brood in a mixed flock setting.

 

[crealbilly]

I guess my broody RIR hen is in it for the long haul, she's been sitting 12 days non - more than 1/2 way there. Kind of exciting my first ever boody hen experience. I'm really glad I confined here to the nest box she decided to brood in.

i guess shes due to hatch the week of may 23rd. I plan on leaving her and her chicks in the hen high-rise until June 4th or 5th. I'll be processing my Cornish X on June 4th. After I'm done processing I want to clean out the 165 sq foot area that I have the Cornish X in now and put the hen and her chicks in there. The 165 sqft area is just a fenced off section of the chicken yard so the only thing separating them is a fence.

Sound like a good plan? Should I switch the hen and her chicks over to chick starter feed right away? Would you recommend medicated?

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Reliable broodiness at six to eight months of age and easy handling. Won't let other chickens bully them or their babies. Cover large clutches without egg breakage. Sounds like a job for a game hen. I kept large fowl cochins for years, had silkies, lot's of various heritage breeds. Saw nothing I would call "reliable". Had to have an incubator on standby. Silkies hatch OK, them and OEG bantams are about the most dependable thing you can find at all hatcheries and feed stores. I never had much luck with the silkies raising chicks. They just don't have the persona needed to make everything give wide birth to their brood in a mixed flock setting.

I think I will try to get some OEG next for brooding. I had a dapper little gentleman that I re-homed as I wasn't looking to breed banty/game into my line, and the lovely little lady I had, being the curious sort that she was, managed to hop the fence and investigate the wrong end of a rat trap to her demise.

I like Silkies, but I agree that, at least in my experience, they generally lack the ability to fend off aggressive members in a large flock setting...some come close....but most don't. Their odd appearance can make them targets for hazing with those crazy crests by the bigger birds (I have had some otherwise gentle ladies hold and pound a Silkie). Silkies are however excellent "serial brooders." Mine have brooded 3 to 4 times a year, but I did create a separate broody hutch and run for them to protect them and their babies.

My bantam Cochins...granted, this is the only 2 I've ever tried, and they are sisters....are something of mop heads. They keep letting eggs roll out or leave them on the "no zone" fluff fringe to cool off. It's as if with all that extra fluff they are not as aware of where the eggs actually are. They are proving to be extremely broody, so I may see if I can't get them deeper nests to avoid some of this rollage.

Large fowl can be absolutely awesome, but generally, unless you have something like @fisherlady 's Silver Penciled Rocks [drool, drool], large fowl have not been as consistently broody for me. At best, my large girls will nicely brood in spring but not again until next year...if at all. I've had several do an awesome job their first pullet year but then never brood again. A number began a brood but quit early not able to handle the long term. They also don't seem to be as broody prone over their lifetime with the exception of this particular line of Marans I have now...those girls seem to be going broody twice a year, but I am waiting to see how long lived that is. My Marans are fully able to keep the chicks safe in the flock, being "substantial" matrons, but I also now have a good rooster that takes care of chick integration for me. But I know there are those whose Marans never brood. I think it is just this line (she admitted some went broody on her) and the fact that they were hatched under broodies (I've read that can actually improve your chances if the genes are there).

Good thoughts about the OEGB....if the "mop heads" don't improve, I'll trade them out for 1 or 2 nice OEGB ladies as I have heard others sing their praises.

LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I guess my broody RIR hen is in it for the long haul, she's been sitting 12 days non - more than 1/2 way there. Kind of exciting my first ever boody hen experience. I'm really glad I confined here to the nest box she decided to brood in.

i guess shes due to hatch the week of may 23rd. I plan on leaving her and her chicks in the hen high-rise until June 4th or 5th. I'll be processing my Cornish X on June 4th. After I'm done processing I want to clean out the 165 sq foot area that I have the Cornish X in now and put the hen and her chicks in there. The 165 sqft area is just a fenced off section of the chicken yard so the only thing separating them is a fence.

Sound like a good plan? Should I switch the hen and her chicks over to chick starter feed right away? Would you recommend medicated?

Sounds like a great plan for movement to the CX pen after they are gone but brooding in the "high rise" until the chicks hatch and fluff.

As to food...your broody should be on the chick start now as she does not need the calcium in layer but can use the extra protein in the chick start (which is generally 18% vs the 16% in standard layer).

To medicate or not medicate, that is the question. I've done it both ways depending upon the needs of the situation. It really depends upon your soil environment and if you've had any problems with coccidiosis in the past. The broody hen will help acclimate the chicks' systems with the hatching and hen brooding process itself (yup, her poop acts as the initial inoculation). However, it isn't just exposing the chicks to your strain of coccidia, which is essential to coccidia immunity, it is allowing their systems to mature without too much coccidia so that they can keep the coccidia in balance. If there is too much exposure too soon, or too much overgrowth at any time, then trouble can quickly arise. With the CX having been in that pen, I would lean to putting the hen and chicks on medicated, or especially when they hit that pen. CX are very poopy which can create an ideal atmosphere for coccidia overgrowth, so the chances of build up could be higher in that pen.

My thoughts.
LofMc

 

[crealbilly]

Sounds like a great plan for movement to the CX pen after they are gone but brooding in the "high rise" until the chicks hatch and fluff.

As to food...your broody should be on the chick start now as she does not need the calcium in layer but can use the extra protein in the chick start (which is generally 18% vs the 16% in standard layer).

To medicate or not medicate, that is the question. I've done it both ways depending upon the needs of the situation. It really depends upon your soil environment and if you've had any problems with coccidiosis in the past. The broody hen will help acclimate the chicks' systems with the hatching and hen brooding process itself (yup, her poop acts as the initial inoculation). However, it isn't just exposing the chicks to your strain of coccidia, which is essential to coccidia immunity, it is allowing their systems to mature without too much coccidia so that they can keep the coccidia in balance. If there is too much exposure too soon, or too much overgrowth at any time, then trouble can quickly arise. With the CX having been in that pen, I would lean to putting the hen and chicks on medicated, or especially when they hit that pen. CX are very poopy which can create an ideal atmosphere for coccidia overgrowth, so the chances of build up could be higher in that pen.

My thoughts.
LofMc

Thanks for the reply, I have her on Meat Bird now which is 21%, it the same feed im feeding my cornish x. I recently put everyone (laying hens, roster and my 5 burbon reds turkeys) on all flock which is 18%. I also have free choice oyster she for the laying hens if they want it. They really seem to be doing well on all flock 18%/instead of the layer 16% I had them on until recently.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Thanks for the reply, I have her on Meat Bird now which is 21%, it the same feed im feeding my cornish x. I recently put everyone (laying hens, roster and my 5 burbon reds turkeys) on all flock which is 18%. I also have free choice oyster she for the laying hens if they want it. They really seem to be doing well on all flock 18%/instead of the layer 16% I had them on until recently.

The 21% can work for the broody...for the short duration of 3 weeks, I doubt it will hurt. I wouldn't have the chicks on that though unless they are game or meat (they are RIR?).

Too much protein for layer types can push their growth too quickly resulting in tendon and ligament problems as the growth outstrips the ligaments. The all flock could be a good choice, although it doesn't have as high of nutrients as chick start for growing bodies.

I've messed a bit with protein content when raising Buckeyes and didn't see any issues with the more heritage Rhodebars, who I had in with the Buckeyes. Buckeyes can take/need a higher protein level, but I dialed it back after talking with another BYC'er who did mess up her heritage layers by pushing the protein too quickly in another mixed situation.

LofMc

 

[varidgerunner]

I think you will be far happier with an OEG than an OEGB. The OEGBs are really tiny, hard for them to set a sizeable clutch of standard eggs. There is nothing wrong with their brooding gene, though. I had five sisters, they were hatched last July. Half Asil and half American Game. They kind of just lived wild out back through the winter. Of the five, one is setting on her second brood, two have started laying their second brood and the other two have new chicks. Five of Five successful broodies, less than a year old.

Here is the first one that got an early start this year.

 

[crealbilly]

The 21% can work for the broody...for the short duration of 3 weeks, I doubt it will hurt. I wouldn't have the chicks on that though unless they are game or meat (they are RIR?).

Too much protein for layer types can push their growth too quickly resulting in tendon and ligament problems as the growth outstrips the ligaments. The all flock could be a good choice, although it doesn't have as high of nutrients as chick start for growing bodies.

I've messed a bit with protein content when raising Buckeyes and didn't see any issues with the more heritage Rhodebars, who I had in with the Buckeyes. Buckeyes can take/need a higher protein level, but I dialed it back after talking with another BYC'er who did mess up her heritage layers by pushing the protein too quickly in another mixed situation.

LofMc

Yes all my laying hens are RIR and so is the rooster. I'm thinking I should count myself lucky to have a RIR broody hen. Ive read a lot here on byc and it seens broody RIR hens are not all that common. Well see how she does with raising the chicks and if she sits until they hatch.

I really would like to get some buff orpington eventually but for the time being I have enough with 17 RIR hens and 1 roo to keep with pleanty of eggs for family and friends.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I think you will be far happier with an OEG than an OEGB. The OEGBs are really tiny, hard for them to set a sizeable clutch of standard eggs. There is nothing wrong with their brooding gene, though. I had five sisters, they were hatched last July. Half Asil and half American Game. They kind of just lived wild out back through the winter. Of the five, one is setting on her second brood, two have started laying their second brood and the other two have new chicks. Five of Five successful broodies, less than a year old.

Here is the first one that got an early start this year.

I am a bit concerned with the flightiness of the OEG...I don't have acres of free range, nor are my fences extremely high (6 feet).

Would a standard OEG be happy in a more confined area? (I run about 15 birds or so on 1/3 acre, with the birds getting the back half of that so about 1/6 acre.)

I've liked the Silkies and bantam Cochins as I can set about 4 to 6 eggs at a time, which is all I really want to do, and they are happy in smaller quarters of the brooding hutch. I don't have room to hatch and grow out lots of birds at a time. I need to work in small batches....which is why I was thinking OEGB....especially if I keep to the broody hutch rather than flock brood.

Just curious.
LofMc

 

[varidgerunner]

If you are OK with small amounts of eggs brooded, then the OEGB would be great, they can fly to the moon though. The standards are excellent flyers too, and while they do well in a free range environment, they bare confinement well. You will cut in to broodiness with confinement though. They can be kept in 5 x 5 foot pens, but will brood more readily in something along the lines of 8x8. I routinely free range and let them go broody, and then move them to a smaller pen of my choosing, to let the "bait nests" pick up another broody. The flightiness thing is why I've switched over to more Oriental games, they don't fit the winter hardy free range, roost in a tree lifestyle, though, due to their tight feathering, so that is why I have the crosses. The ones with Oriental in them also don't roost as high in the trees, which makes it easier if you want to catch one, compared to the standard OEG/American Game.