- Oct 7, 2011
- 1,483
- 24
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I have only had two broody hens to develop my opinion, but wanted to share anyway because they are very different.
Two hens: my first broody, an austrolorp, hatched eggs she had sat on, and now a my large buff brahma mom who adopted 13 babies I ordered from Ideal.
The australorp,while a kind and protective mom, let the babies run wild lol I had to put them in a brooder around 1 1/2 weeks because they were leaving the large run, even wandering into the neighbor's yard, all while the mom was contained inside the run. She did feed them and love them, also taught them to perch with the bigger girls, but they never seemed to grasp the idea that there might be dangers outside. I also tried to give her babies from Ideal Poultry the second time she went broody (and still is) She didn't take to the new babies, so I gave her some more of my eggs from the backyard mixes. I made this adoption attempt in the morning, so I would have probably had better luck at night....
My buff brahma keeps all the babies from Ideal on a very tight leash. They are now a week and a half and have only begun to take a few steps outside the coop, barely moving past the door of the coop into the run. The brahma kept them inside the broody cage for a week before even allowing them to see more of the coop! She guards them like a hawk (to my relief!) She adopted these babies in the morning with very little effort on my part.
Here they are just a few minutes ago.
Two hens: my first broody, an austrolorp, hatched eggs she had sat on, and now a my large buff brahma mom who adopted 13 babies I ordered from Ideal.
The australorp,while a kind and protective mom, let the babies run wild lol I had to put them in a brooder around 1 1/2 weeks because they were leaving the large run, even wandering into the neighbor's yard, all while the mom was contained inside the run. She did feed them and love them, also taught them to perch with the bigger girls, but they never seemed to grasp the idea that there might be dangers outside. I also tried to give her babies from Ideal Poultry the second time she went broody (and still is) She didn't take to the new babies, so I gave her some more of my eggs from the backyard mixes. I made this adoption attempt in the morning, so I would have probably had better luck at night....
My buff brahma keeps all the babies from Ideal on a very tight leash. They are now a week and a half and have only begun to take a few steps outside the coop, barely moving past the door of the coop into the run. The brahma kept them inside the broody cage for a week before even allowing them to see more of the coop! She guards them like a hawk (to my relief!) She adopted these babies in the morning with very little effort on my part.
Here they are just a few minutes ago.
