Chicken Breeding Frequency...???

OG_SHAMOS

In the Brooder
Apr 13, 2018
18
2
44
I want to start breeding more and I am a little confused on breeding.

I know this topic has been asked many times before but I am still confused since some of the older threads that I read didn't really address some of my confusion. Therefore...I am asking some questions here in a new thread in hopes of getting some better answers...So...

1. How many times should or do Chickens breed...? Do they breed all year long...?

Theoretically speaking...A rooster and hen should be breeding/mating all year long around the clock provided...

A. They are both in good/optimal health.
B. There is nothing wrong with them (injury etc).
C. There hormonal balances are at optimal.
D. They are both sexually mature and old enough to breed.
E. The hen is 'always or is constantly broody' and will let the rooster mount her.

If anything were to change from the above...than theoretically speaking...The frequency of mating/breeding should decrease...right...? ex. A hen who only goes broody 1-2 times or a rooster that can't perform etc.

I have a hen who is constantly broody and seems to want to always mate and lay eggs. She has already gone through 2 clutches this year and is on her 3rd clutch right now. I always have a rooster with her since I want to breed as much as I can. I am just curious as to how many times I can mate them if its 'indefinitely' as in all year long...or...just until she stops being broody and/or I stop breeding them all together myself.

Just curious...

How many matings/clutches can someone get from a pair in a given year...? That is...provided the hen is 'constantly' broody the whole year and the rooster is in optimal health. Is it possible to get 6 or more clutches from a hen in a given year...?
 
A lot depends upon the climate that you live in. It's more difficult for a hen to raise chicks in the winter in some areas. Here in NJ where we have a somewhat cold winter, I have had hens raise as many as 5 clutches/broods in a year.
 
Broody and mating are two different things. A hen and rooster mate all year long. A broody hen is one who wants to sits on eggs faithfully until they hatch. An example is i have 40+hens plus some roosters. They mate all year but i have never been lucky enough to have a broody hen. So I collect the fertile eggs and hatch them ina incubator. I wish i had a broody hen! Lucky you:drool
 
Broody and mating are two different things. A hen and rooster mate all year long. A broody hen is one who wants to sits on eggs faithfully until they hatch. An example is i have 40+hens plus some roosters. They mate all year but i have never been lucky enough to have a broody hen. So I collect the fertile eggs and hatch them ina incubator. I wish i had a broody hen! Lucky you:drool
Isn't it interesting? Folks on here have hens that go broody all the time, if I'm lucky one of my hatchery EE hens will go broody maybe once a year! I have a mix breed flock, mostly pure but none of the others have any interest in brooding at all! :idunnoMind you I'm not exactly complaining, I sell my eggs so I dont really want them stopping laying to brood!
 

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