Hatching with 2 broodies

[lizgarf]

Liz,
So sorry about Zorro! Sending lots of good thoughts your way and hoping his vet visit goes well. He is a beautiful cat!

I am having some concerns about my future "broody" plans. I first thought I need to get some silkies, since they tend to go broody a lot. I had a couple silkies a while ago, and well… they were not really my favorite. (Sorry Teila!!) It just seemed like they are not suited for life on the farm. I worry about the big poofs on their heads and being able to see well. I also worry about the cold weather and the chance of them getting wet. Of course they will have their own coop and covered run, but I am afraid to venture down that ornamental road again. Having said that, I know some of you have cochins. What are your thoughts on them? I feel like they would be better suited for what I am doing here.

Thanks so much, MM!
I can't speak for all breeds, but in my little flock, all three bantams go broody frequently. The large fowl have not gone broody at all, so far. So, with that experience, and from what I've read, I would think any bantam is more likely to go broody than any large fowl. Rousseau is a bantam frizzled cochin and has proven to be an excellent broody. Frida is a bantam mystery mutt, and she's still hanging out with her 15-week-olds.

 

[Teila]

Good morning Team Broody

Liz, I hope all goes well at the Vet .. will check back at lunch time!
Glad that Desi is sort of manageable while you are focusing on Zorro. Love the photo and yes, he is gorgeous. Your block looks so interesting compared to my flat, square residential allotment.

MM, don't apologise, it's all good, each to their own. As mentioned above I have a flat, square, lawned residential allotment with no real aerial predators or obstacles for Silkies that do not see too well to worry about

I can't comment on Silkies and broodiness; as you know these are my first two and way too young to be at that stage if they are hens!
Britney, my beautiful little wrecking ball, Bantam Leghorn who passed away a few months ago, was about 18 months old and had never gone broody.
Dusty is a Bantam Langshan who is 12 months old on Saturday and she gave broodiness an hour or so's trial and decided it was not for her.
Cilla, Bantam Cochin is also 12 months old on Saturday and has been broody 3 times in that 12 months and as you know, she is a determined, dedicated mumma

 

[MistyMountain]

Thanks so much, MM!
I can't speak for all breeds, but in my little flock, all three bantams go broody frequently. The large fowl have not gone broody at all, so far. So, with that experience, and from what I've read, I would think any bantam is more likely to go broody than any large fowl. Rousseau is a bantam frizzled cochin and has proven to be an excellent broody. Frida is a bantam mystery mutt, and she's still hanging out with her 15-week-olds.

I am definitely thinking bantam is the way to go… they will have a smaller area and will only be hatching what is needed to replace any losses (or whoever I want to duplicate!) in the flock. I am even considering putting my hamburgs in with them as they are so small and I can not imagine Willie "romancing" them. Right now they just run for the hills, which I do not blame them for! Do I remember correctly that Rousseau and frizzles in general have really BIG molts? That's another thing I worry about with our colder temperatures. Sometimes fall can get downright cold! I really think I should change my plan on this.

 

[tommysgirl]

I am having some concerns about my future "broody" plans. I first thought I need to get some silkies, since they tend to go broody a lot. I had a couple silkies a while ago, and well… they were not really my favorite. (Sorry Teila!!) It just seemed like they are not suited for life on the farm. I worry about the big poofs on their heads and being able to see well. I also worry about the cold weather and the chance of them getting wet. Of course they will have their own coop and covered run, but I am afraid to venture down that ornamental road again. Having said that, I know some of you have cochins. What are your thoughts on them? I feel like they would be better suited for what I am doing here.

I don't have cochins but I have heard that they are as, or nearly as broody as silkies. I added chicks last year based on the likelihood that they would go broody but in the meantime I had one of my original girls, a hatchery Australorp, go broody twice! Her daughter is a barnyard mix and she has gone broody too but she broke when I denied her her nest which was outside in a flower pot not in the coop or even a run.

But the "broody" breeds I added are Icelandics, Speckled Sussex and Dorkings

I may get some mottled cochin bantam hatching eggs this spring depending on the number of girls I have that go broody and my aunt's broody hatch includes a couple of silkie crosses...again I am excited about adding broody breeds

 

[texgardengal]

Hi all! We've had the flu. We'll the humans have...chickies have been happily rocking along. Horribly sick but now on the mend. I've been sooooo out of commission, The boys and hubby all had it The boys taken to the doctor who confirmed.... Yes, the flu.
So anyway, finally out and about, Cheep is most definately a hen...tiny comb, no rooster behavior. But she is a tough little cookie! I think I might name her that since I'm pretty sure she's a girl. Cookie!! So sorry to hear of the trouble with Desi, Liz. I know how much you want to keep him, even if he is a rooster! Lol. He is beautiful. And, ya. Pretty typical for roo's I think is to be the last one in the coop and first out. Bart and George have a system worked out, Bart hangs out in the morning in the coop and George goes out first to check things out. But, at night, Bart has late watch. George goes to bed first! He's with the hens a good half hour to an hour at least before Bart finally goes to bed. Cheep... No Cookie! is still not allowed on the roost. He... No she! either sleeps in the nesting boxes or under them. Haha. I've gotta get used to him being a she! Guess what else!!! Miss Mollie is broody again. I still haven't decided what to do. I'm still emotionally SHOT after our last hatch....what to do....then I read ya'll are broody too. Congrats!!! Cilla was a great mom and really seems to enjoy it....Molly not so much. And Dusty is a great aunt! Hope your hatch goes good too TG!! So excited for y'all....for me, not so much. I have a day or two to think about it...sigh... Liz, hopefully after Desi gets over the excitement of learning he CAN crow he will be like Bart. He hardly crows at all. Also, we had a very old Norwegian Elkhound, once he developed arthritis in his hips we got an arthritis medication and he did OK for another 2-3 years! They have great medications for arthritis in dogs now.

 

[texgardengal]

And cats! Timed out and lost the other half of my post....Anyway. I'm so disappointed. I was sick during the big stock show/poulty show I have been looking forward to. All the breeds, it would have been great! I was so looking forward to picking out some new chicks!!! I was hoping to find Cookie come companions. I will have to look around and find a show but I have no idea if there are any shows in the near future anywhere in my area. The stock show is still going strong but the bunnies have taken over the poultry barn and I like bunnies but dont want any. Who said they know of someone who has Brahmas?
MM I was looking at your pics of your yard? Dont think "yard" is a good word...lol your place looks like a post card. wow....so pretty.
How are the frogs doing Teila??

 

[lizgarf]

Welcome back, TGG! So sorry to hear you've been feeling poorly! The flu totally wiped me out twice last year, and I'm knocking on wood to not get it again this year.
Cookie is a fabulous name! Bettina, my Brahma, is hatchery stock someone got as a chick from the local feed store. The guy I got my fertile eggs (now Lucy and Desi) from has some very pretty Brahmas in unique colors. He is based in Redding, CA, and not sure how long it would take to ship to you, but you want your eggs to not travel too long. You can probably find Brahmas closer, but it might be worth a shot. His website is papaspoultry.com. Not sure I'd let Molly hatch again, though. It might go better in the spring, but seems risky to me. Plus, it's still too cold in Texas.

Anyway, back from the vet, who was very nice. He thought Zorro was probably just arthritic, but he said that unfortunately, cats can't take NSAIDs. What arthritis medicine do you know of for cats, TGG? Anyway, the vet took a geriatric blood panel and we'll see tomorrow if it might be anything very serious. In the meantime, he gave me a few doses of an opiate painkiller to give him in the meantime. Zorro is doing better today than he was last night, but he's definitely favoring that leg. Thanks for all your support.

No more crows today from Desi, at least that I heard. I was worried that the latest tightening of collar #2 was too restrictive for him at first, but watching him later in the day, he was totally fine. He even did a huge flight from high up on the hill at one point (not the most graceful landing, mind you, but still impressive, and then immediately followed by Lucy, who pulled it off slightly better with a running landing). I started working on a collar #3, but now that #2 had a good day, I might try to get some paid work done instead and just wait for the patent-pending rooster collar to arrive.

MM, I don't know how frizzles do in the cold, but I can say that Rousseau did not molt as dramatically as Bettina and Grace did. That might be because she was broody during most of that period. She did lose some head feathers kind of early in the summer, but she has them all now, post mini-molt. Where are there pictures of your place online? I want to see!

Thanks, Teila, my lot is definitely "interesting"! It's a ton of work to do anything with it, but I do love it, and all those stairs help keep me fit!

 

[texgardengal]

LOL. Liz you're right. I have already brought in the eggs. I hate breaking their natural tendencies and I want lots of chicks but on second thought I reconsidered...remembering little penguin.....She really has a lot of nerve being broody again. Cookie told me to give her glass eggs and let her sit on them until next Christmas. MM has her place on her avatar. On her profile she has a couple of pics. One with snow and one without. I'm jealous. . Y'all have such beautiful yards. Mine is horrible. But, I did just move here...I have lots of plans.

 

[lizgarf]

Cookie told me to give her glass eggs and let her sit on them until next Christmas.

Hahahaha! I missed your sense of humor on here, TGG!

 

[texgardengal]

Haha thanks.
I forgot...my daughter works at Petsmart, she's a dog trainer....and helps out at the animal "daycare". She had mentioned pet aspirin that her friends cat took and how good it worked. I called her a little while ago to get the specifics. Not a NSAID but it's not people aspirin either... She did say the vet at Petsmart has the cats take "animal aspirin". I wish I knew more....hope he feels better.