We got two Rhode Island Hens. One is now 2 years old and the other is under a year. The younger is redder than any Rhode Island Red. I used to have 6-8 Rhode Island hens at a time.
Well what happened, was The 2 year old Hen made a nest of like 10 eggs and decided to finally sit on it. The nest wasn't in a safe enough spot so we (my husband and I) decided to move the eggs together.
I then tried to put the same hen that was once so broody on the nest in the house, in a corner, on a blanket that was on the cooler (some chickens arleady tried laying eggs there but leave them) and the 2 year old girl wouldn't stay on the nest. I waited like 30min to an hour and almost another thirty min till I tried grabbing red hen from her free-ranging. I sat her on the nest where her feet brushed against the eggs, by this time there were 13 eggs all brown, which I knew three were from the older hen (bigger and lighter brown color) and the rest were the younger hens.
Well Red Hen (her name, of the younger Rhode Island Red) decided to go broody on that nest. She sat there for a few days and then somehow the 3 big eggs disappeared without a trace, but she kept laying. I counted 7 eggs. All small and a darker brown than the older hen who is very brown, I named her Brownie girl, when I had other brown hens, they shared the same name. But only one survived animal attacks. Lately, this year, all that stopped... I been keeping up watching them better and protecting them with a fine fence meant for rabbits instead of Chickens.
So I wonder why did Brownie Girl not stay on her nest? And what's with the Rhode Island Red instinct on that? I just wanted to get this out there, to share information. And I welcome comments back.
Now, Red Hen has 6 healthy babies.. 1 didn't make it out like the others, momma let it get cold, because it was the last one to hatch. I wish I could get foto, but I have no way to do so. They were very yellow at first, but some baby feathers on most of the babies backs were red like momma. Now they are growing fast and have all their wing feathers and in their wing feathers is a lot of Black. The daddy looks mostly Light Brahma (silver and black, almost Wyandotte, not fully.) The father bird has a silver triangle like I seen in the bantam version of a dark brahma, but the chest of a Silver Wyandotte. He's all silver and black. I wonder what what they babies will look like as adults. I believe we have 4 males and 2 females but it could be 3 females and 3 males... Now 3 have "bumpies" on their head by their beak where the adults have their crowns. 3 still have nothing there but an indent. one looks between the two looks even. Prob a male with short crown or a female with a big crown, like some birds get.
Well what happened, was The 2 year old Hen made a nest of like 10 eggs and decided to finally sit on it. The nest wasn't in a safe enough spot so we (my husband and I) decided to move the eggs together.
I then tried to put the same hen that was once so broody on the nest in the house, in a corner, on a blanket that was on the cooler (some chickens arleady tried laying eggs there but leave them) and the 2 year old girl wouldn't stay on the nest. I waited like 30min to an hour and almost another thirty min till I tried grabbing red hen from her free-ranging. I sat her on the nest where her feet brushed against the eggs, by this time there were 13 eggs all brown, which I knew three were from the older hen (bigger and lighter brown color) and the rest were the younger hens.
Well Red Hen (her name, of the younger Rhode Island Red) decided to go broody on that nest. She sat there for a few days and then somehow the 3 big eggs disappeared without a trace, but she kept laying. I counted 7 eggs. All small and a darker brown than the older hen who is very brown, I named her Brownie girl, when I had other brown hens, they shared the same name. But only one survived animal attacks. Lately, this year, all that stopped... I been keeping up watching them better and protecting them with a fine fence meant for rabbits instead of Chickens.
So I wonder why did Brownie Girl not stay on her nest? And what's with the Rhode Island Red instinct on that? I just wanted to get this out there, to share information. And I welcome comments back.
Now, Red Hen has 6 healthy babies.. 1 didn't make it out like the others, momma let it get cold, because it was the last one to hatch. I wish I could get foto, but I have no way to do so. They were very yellow at first, but some baby feathers on most of the babies backs were red like momma. Now they are growing fast and have all their wing feathers and in their wing feathers is a lot of Black. The daddy looks mostly Light Brahma (silver and black, almost Wyandotte, not fully.) The father bird has a silver triangle like I seen in the bantam version of a dark brahma, but the chest of a Silver Wyandotte. He's all silver and black. I wonder what what they babies will look like as adults. I believe we have 4 males and 2 females but it could be 3 females and 3 males... Now 3 have "bumpies" on their head by their beak where the adults have their crowns. 3 still have nothing there but an indent. one looks between the two looks even. Prob a male with short crown or a female with a big crown, like some birds get.
good luck raising em 'n keeping 'em safe from predators.. I will build a very safe place for them to sleep of mine... I just have one of my free range hens die, it disappeared. And I wanted to post a pic of her on here... She's been gone all night last night and didn't show up in the morning. I hope she'll come back, she's all black with a yellow chest. Name was Lahgkeisha. I think I can order more that looked like her though, but it's sad to have to lose her so soon 
