Hen or rooster?! HELP!!!

[PetRock]

I wouldn't worry about your Brahma being a roo based on it's size now. We bought our first Brahma chick this year and she is bigger than the other kinds we have. After buying ours, I did a little research on the breed. The pullets average around 9 1/2 lb when fully grown while the other chicks we have will be 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 lb. Brahmas are big birds!

 

[Kitty135]

Now if she ends up being a he, can we still eat the hens eggs? I don't want a baby chick ending up in my scrambled eggs...

 

[FMAFarms]

As long as you collect the eggs every day (or even twice a day) and refrigerate them right away, you shouldn't have a problem. But if you let the eggs sit out in the coop for even a day, you should mark that egg as lost (unless they're under a broody hen). We've all heard or read stories of folks who are a little lax about collecting their eggs, then cracking an egg over a frying pan and getting a horrific surprise. Collect your eggs every day and you should be fine. And just to be safe, learn how to candle an egg.

 

[Kitty135]

Thanks. And I'm an expert at Candeling eggs! Another question... If a hen is broody, will I be able to get her eggs? And will she try to hatch them? If so, how many could she try to hatch??

 

[Sorin]

If the hen is broody you can still collect the eggs, she may try to peck at you though, it depends on your bird. Just collect the eggs as frequently as possible. Yes, if she is broody she will try to hatch them and some hens can lay on a dozen or more eggs!

 

[Kitty135]

Should I be worried about cross breeding? (see my signature)

 

[FMAFarms]

You're welcome to try to get eggs out from a broody hen, but she'll put up a heck of a fight. You might want to get yourself a nice pair of work gloves to protect your hand from scratches and pecks. If you collect your eggs daily you should be fine, but sometimes even one egg in a nest is enough to make a hen go broody. If you don't want her to be broody, you'll need to put her in a broody cage to break her from broodiness so she can start laying again. If you want her to hatch chicks, and she's already setting on eggs, separate her and her nest and eggs from the rest of your coop. Put her into a brooding coop where she can set her eggs in peace (other hens might peck at the eggs, or might continue to try to lay where the hen is nesting). How many eggs depends on the breed of the hen, but three to siz isn't a bad number. Not too many, because then she won't be able to cover them all and provide them with the necessary heat from her body in order for the chicks to develop properly.