Dominique Thread!

@Faraday40 I've had hens as young as a year go broody -- my year-old Cuckoo Breda decided she'd go broody for 3 weeks twice this year which surprised me since my Blue Breda never did. My Cuckoo would sometimes lay eggs 9 days in a row so I was relieved when she'd go broody. My Blue Breda started laying as a pullet, continued laying without stop for 10+ consecutive months, her last two eggs were soft-shell, and then died at 11/2 years old -- so I get nervous when prolific layers don't take a broody break. I guess broodiness depends on the individual.

I like broody-type breeds that don't lay productively so they can give their bodies a nutritient-replenishing body break between laying cycles. I guess it's wait-and-see if any of my Dom chicks grow up to be broody which I hope they will since my understanding is that Doms do hatch and raise their own young. I don't want new chicks, just want the Doms to go broody for laying cycle breaks other than molting breaks which are just as stressful as laying cycles.
Yes, each hen is diff. We hatched a silkie March 4. She laid less than a doz eggs (maybe 9-10) & then went broody. (It seems my frequent broody girls are like that. They lay every day & then stop for 3-4 months) I have a mutt chicken that lays like a Leghorn except every year in June when she takes 6-8 weeks off to go broody & about a month off in the fall to molt. She's 5 yrs now & although not laying daily, I can count on her to give a min of 5 eggs per week in spring and 2-3 eggs a week in winter when some of my birds completely shut down. To me she's the perfect, quiet, non-skittish, hard-working hen.

Bubbles is not a fantastic layer & her eggs are not very big. She's healthy & low-maintenance, though. I like her personality, intelligence, and soft feathers. (Most chickens have a very earthy, clay smell, but her feathers actually smell better - almost like after a rain / fresh smell) I've recently been making some crafts with dyed feathers & her black & white stripes give a pretty look to the final result. I can also use her to make sex-linked chicks.
 
I went outside to take a few pics & there was Bubbles showing off her posture.
IMG_4508 copy.jpg
 
Nice bird other than that comb.. I have those combs on some of mine,,,I wish I could rearrange and level those peaks.
Thanks. She's just a good-looking, very loved pet & teacher's assistant. (She comes to classrooms with me when I present chicken related topics.) She also doubles as a magician's assistant for my daughter. lol Poor Bubbles is beginning to molt, so I went outside to get pics of the flock before they're all bald. This time of year can be scary. Besides the loss of tree cover, I get scared every time I walk outside & see a ton of feathers blowing all over.
 
nice bright legs. ..

not yet sure about his top line....needs more time. :)
Plus, he was standing odd, making him look rather square.
I got a picture of him standing beautifully.... But he's mostly blocked out from a hen running in front of the camera. :barnie
 

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