Can I just allow my girls to hatch their own?

JustaSnake

In the Brooder
Jul 16, 2015
31
3
36
OK So I ma pretty new to this. I have had a few laying hens for few years. The 2 times I have gotten more Chicks/layers I just tricked mom into thinking she hatched a bunch of chicks (got her good n broody first). This time I ended up with 7 Roos. I will be saving one so my girls can have some chicks in the spring. I cant wait to see what I get as I am breeding black sex link to black sex link.Then I want to save out 2 to breed back the BSL. So anyway.... can I just let them hatch them out? Do I have to use an incubator? Thank you. I figure the chicken knows best but I wanted to ask people who know.
 
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I don't think it's possible to trick a hen into being broody. But, if you have a broody hen, and she sticks to the nest, and is also a good mama, that will be a fine option. However, black sex links are not known for going broody. You do know that you won't get more black sex link chicks from them, right? What you will get will be some cute little chicks that will grow up to be nice hens (and of course roos!)
 
Yes I know the chicks will be an odd mix. I tricked mine into going broody, by adding 9 colored balls from the dollar store. She then laid 6 eggs and would not come off the nest. She was turning those "eggs" ! it was funny becasue they were diff colors on one side versus the other, so she had 3 green ones/3 red ones/ and 3 blue ones clustered together like she was organizing them. Then she would turn them. I don't know if I am describing it right lol. Then I waited a few days came in at 1 am and the chicks flew right under her. By the next day she went after my GSD who just walked by the pen! I know I have at least one female that would love to hatch out, she is the foster mom of the 13 I have now who are 4 months old now. (well 3 roo's went to freezer camp and another 3 will be going today as I ended up with 7 roos!) I was just wondering how risky it is to just let the moms hatch out their chicks. I wold love to let all 7 of them do it in the spring. Or maybe just a few.
 
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Thank you! I will definitely come back in the spring to post about it! I have plenty of time to research which I love to do. The first time I did it it was with a black sex link (MB which stood for mean *****) The second time I did it was with my RIR. The RIR (her name is Red) will go broody at the drop of a dime so we have to be careful. She had such fun raising these 13 sex links.
 
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