Broody White Rock hen??

[ShadowsRider]

Has anyone ever heard of a broody White Rock? We've had White Rocks for years, and have never had one turn broody. All I've read of them says that they do not get broody and eggs have to be artificially incubated or given to another type of hen to hatch.

However, one of my young White Rocks, she's about a year old, seems to be sitting on eggs. We have one nest box up in the rafters of my horse barn (since the White Rocks and the Auracanas and the Buttercups all want to go UP to lay eggs

) and last night she would not leave the nest to go to the coop. When we tried to swoosh her out of the nest (which usually all it takes if they try to roost somewhere like that at night instead of heading back to the coop), she growled and pecked my daughter's hand.

So we left her there and turned off the lights figuring she'd just roost there and come out in the morning. The White Rocks can be a bit stubborn and aggressive, and we thought she just really wanted to stay there for the night. But this morning, she's STILL sitting on the nest and shows no desire to move. Hasn't come down to eat or anything with the rest of the hens.

I swear she's acting broody!

Since the nest is fairly far from the feed and water area, we'll probably put some small containers of feed and water up there with her (it's a long nesting box, all open--not divided into sections or anything, that most of the hens share, so there is plenty of room for some feed and water). As a matter of fact, one of the Buttercups went up there to lay as she usually does, and the White Rock growled at her and the Buttercup turned around and left.

Anyone every had a White Rock get broody? Will it last, or will she lose interest after a few days?

 

[ShadowsRider]

Anyone have any experience with White Rocks being broody?

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

I have a friend that has a White Rock hen, and she said her White rock hen would set on eggs for 2 weeks then move to a different nest and so on and so forth. She said she was sick so she sprayed her with the water hose and she never went broody again.

 

[ShadowsRider]

Mrs. Fluffy Puffy :

I have a friend that has a White Rock hen, and she said her White rock hen would set on eggs for 2 weeks then move to a different nest and so on and so forth. She said she was sick so she sprayed her with the water hose and she never went broody again.

That's kinda what we are worried about. We were wondering if they might be prone to not following through the commitment, so to speak.​

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

I would spray her with the water hose and see if that helps. Don't drown her, though!!!

Or if she is still broody then let her hatch out some biddies if you want chicks that is.

 

[Beekissed]

I have a White Rock that has gone broody at least once each year....she is now raising 20 of my CX chicks. She is a good mother and a diligent broody. NO ONE messes with her babies!

 

[DAS]

I have two broody white rocks. One of them has hatched chicks. She raised them for about a month and now she went back to being broody. She is a very good mother.

 

[ShadowsRider]

Wow, that's very different than our experience with our previous White Rocks and everything I've read on them!

Good to know that she might see this through.

Now I have another question about a different hen, so I'm going to start a new topic.

 

[ShadowsRider]

Well, three of the five eggs have hatched! The last two eggs were eggs laid by different hens the day after she started sitting, that we grabbed up and stuffed under her because they were from some hens that were our favorites. So, I'm assuming they may not hatch for another day or so, unless they are not fertile. One of the Buttercups laid in her nest before she started sitting, and the other two are her eggs.

Our rooster is a Japanese Silver Phoenix......so at this point we've got two White Rock/Japanese Phoenix chicks, and one Buttercup/Japanese Phoenix chick and we are waiting on one Auracana/Japanese Phoenix and one Light Brahma/Japanese Phoenix (the Light Brahma and the Auracana are the ones we put in a day later).

Sure will be some interesting looking chickens when they grow up!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Congrats on the babies! That will be an interesting cross.