broody production red!!???

[sunket77]

I thought productions reds won't go broody but sure enough I have one! It's been several days now and she wont get off the nest. I keep taking the eggs but at some point every day someone gives her two eggs to sit on. I keep moving her but she is determind to hatch the golf ball she is sitting on. Do you think she will go the distance? If so I have a couple eggs I could give her that I want hatched. I already have two broody silkies that I set some jap eggs under but I forgot to write down when I set the eggs and I haven't moved them so I am hoping they can raise the chicks themselves?? I guess after all this I need a nursery to put all these broody's in! If I put them all in the same place will they kill each others chicks or keep to their own? One of the silkies is a very fiesty broody mad at the world kind a girl! This is crazy, I would have given anything for a broody in the spring when I had so many eggs I wanted to hatch, almost all the other birds are still molting!

 

[Judy]

Production reds are indeed bred to lay and not go broody, but genetics will overcome, sometimes. Leghorns aren't ever supposed to go broody, either, and I've read about several broody leghorns on here.

I don't think anyone is giving her eggs to sit on (you might have been kidding here, I realize.) They squeeze in her nest and lay, or she is stealing eggs from other nests. Or both. The Silkies will most likely raise the jap chicks and do a good job of mothering, yes. Putting all the broodies together is the only way to find out what they will do. Sometimes they kill their own chicks. Sometimes they kill another hen's chicks. Sometimes they help mother each other's chicks. Sometimes others in the flock will help, sometimes they ignore new chicks, and sometimes they attack them. I have seen mine do all the above. I think the most likely is that the broody will raise her chicks, even if she is in with the rest of the flock, without a problem, whether she gets help or not. I had one broody pair who were raising theirs together, and when both mamas got killed, the only other pullet of the same breed then took over raising ALL the chicks.

My personal approach is to let nature take its course, in the hope that what I get will be the fittest and strongest and most likely to survive and pass on good genes. Of course this is just a personal opinion. You have to do whatever feels best to you.

 

[zazouse]

I have about 50 PR and about 10 of them have hatched out chicks this year, they make great moms.

I have found that they are easer to break the broody cycle than my buff O's them hens never give up.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
And my buff O's have not gone broody in 3+ years. You just never know.

 

[Aria]

I have a show quality Black Silkie and she wants to sit and sit. When I remove her. NO eggs.
Back she goes..on an empty nest.

Problem she and another Golden Buff sit all the time. The Golden Buff does lay eggs. I keep taking them off the next.

They are taking up the spaces in my 3 nesting boxes. Suggestion? What can I do?
Just keep taking them off. My other hens are now starting to lay on the barn floor because there are no empty nest boxes. We are thinking of building more nesting boxes. Please help with any information. Aria

 

[tuesdays chicks]

I don't think sunnket Was kidding about others giving her eggs to sit all my girls were laying their eggs in broody nest. 2woulD go right in with the broody to lay ,she would get out for the bo hen, I had to disturb her daily until I gave the broodys separate accommodation.

 

[Judy]

I wouldn't build more. I'd scrounge something lying around to give them for a nest, if nothing else, cardboard boxes from a store. Then think about how you want to manage/house broodies and new chicks before you build anything -- or whether you want to try leaving them in the flock, marking eggs, and checking daily under the broody for extra eggs.

 

[karimw]

I had an Ameraucana broody that sat on empty nests for about 10 weeks. I tried to give her eggs to sit on, but when she got out to eat and drink she would come back to a different nest box

I finally bought some chicks and put them under her and that broke the cycle. She's doing a great job raising them! I had a welsummer broody hatch 8 chicks on her own at the same time. I tried to put them together, but they would not share space well - they got along fine with each other, but the chicks got confused and if they went to the wrong mama they got pecked. Now I have ANOTHER broody (Cochin) due to hatch Ameraucana eggs this weekend and I don't know where I'm going to put her!

 

[sunket77]

no I wasn't kidding! lol! like tuesdays said, I have two hens that insist on laying in that box so she just takes those eggs to sit on. I want to at least move her to a box that isn't for laying but I am thinking she will go right back to it. She seems determined! I have a couple of cochin chicks I could give her but they are almost 6 weeks old so I don't think that would work

I wish it would though b/c that would be a great way to get them into the flock!

 

[VladikC]

This is my broody production red