BYC Café

[Shadrach]

I think it has more to do with the way you keep your chickens, Shad
Over here their more incline to raise them for egg layers not rearing young, so the instinct to reproduce, go broody, has been bred out of them.
Yours are basically on their own, i mean you do look after them and all but keep them locked up in an enclosure their whole life....they have regressed back to their natural instinct to reproduce.

I wouldn't argue with any of that Sean. It is in part what I set out to prove. I've often read some instincts have been irrevocably bred out of certain breeds of chicken. I believe it is all about how you keep them and my experiences here seem to show that even Marans, which are not noted for broodiness will still go broody under the right circumstances.

 

[ronott1]

I wish you would tell this to the hens here.
Out of 17 hens 11 have already gone broody this year.
None are Silkies or Cohin.

Don't you have land race breeds?

Those are quite different. So are a lot of not hatchery breeds.

 

[ronott1]

We have some new badges on this thread!

Awesome!

 

[ronott1]

I think it has more to do with the way you keep your chickens, Shad
Over here their more incline to raise them for egg layers not rearing young, so the instinct to reproduce, go broody, has been bred out of them.
Yours are basically on their own, i mean you do look after them and all but don't keep them locked up in an enclosure their whole life....they have regressed back to their natural instinct to reproduce.

Not really husbandry but genetic breeding. Nearly all of chicken behaviors are genetic. If I hatch an egg in an incubator or buy chicks from a hatchery, they do not learn from a Mom

 

[CapricornFarm]

Morning Cap, what do you have planned for today?

At the Dr's office. Fasting for labs. It is only 41° out, so may spend time quilting and cleaning up. How about you?

 

[ronott1]

At the Dr's office. Fasting for labs. It is only 41° out, so may spend time quilting and cleaning up. How about you?

Is the allergy test today too?

 

[CapricornFarm]

Is the allergy test today too?

Nope, just my regular Dr.

 

[Shadrach]

Don't you have land race breeds?

Those are quite different. So are a lot of not hatchery breeds.

Nope. I started off with French Marans (feathered feet) and Old English Game bantams.
I have had Catalans, but they were not from feral communities.
I have mutts as well now from Marans bantam cross.

 

[Shadrach]

Not really husbandry but genetic breeding. Nearly all of chicken behaviors are genetic.

Erm , not actually true.

 

[ronott1]

Erm , not actually true.

One example that is related is a hen I had that went broody and raised chicks as a very good Mom. I hatched her from an egg in my incubator.

How did she go broody and learn to raise chicks if it was not genetic to do so? No mom taught her and I certainly did not.

Humans are one of the most in the nurture dept. and we are only about 60% nurture (learned) depending on the source you read. Chickens are much higher.

If you do not agree with the above, find some science and share please! I love that stuff!