I want to know about my breed!!!

[LovingChickens]

Ok I've almost had these Chickens for a yr one Roo and a Hen... Got them from the local 4-H she has been laying eggs in a nest she made in my patio chair...She's on 21 now is she going to start sitting??? I've actually witnessed her laying several of the eggs and she will sit there for maybe 5 mins afterwards/before but then nothing.... Will she eventually start? How many more eggs until she will begin? What can I do to make her sit???

http://i581.photobucket.com/albums/ss259/chickgurl_album/Chicks.jpg

Copy and paste that link above to see a pic of them anyone know what breed they are??? I'm very new at the rising chicks thing!!!!

 

[Kev]

They seem to be white leghorns.. Leghorns are a breed selected NOT to go broody(that's when a hen stops laying and sits on the eggs in order to hatch them).. the reason for this is for better production.. hens keep on laying more eggs.

What you see is very normal for a hen in the process of laying an egg.. even though Leghorns normally don't go broody, they still have all the other normal processes that go with egg laying.. including hunting for a nesting spot, "fussing"around the nest, etc..

A few leghorns do go broody but they are the exception not the norm. If you want a hen that sits on eggs and hatches them, you do need to get another breed hen.. you can use her to hatch the Leghorn eggs. Or get an incubator and have a go at it yourself.

 

[THunter]

Are the eggs white? If so, definitely Leghorn, and definitely won't set.

 

[LovingChickens]

Yes they are white large eggs....I'm very upset they are wonderful chicks and I would love to have babies from them!

 

[cgmccary]

As Kev suggests, you could get an incubator and hatch them yourself OR get a breed hen that is known for broodiness.

I have a Bantam -Old English Game (OEG) hen who goes broody several times a year, and she can sit on 4 large (std/ non-bantam) eggs. She is a great broodie as she always hatches the eggs I set under her. You can never go wrong with an OEG hen as a broodie. I suggest a Bantam OEG if you are not interested in hatching larger numbers & she won't do damage to your Leghorn hens. My OEG is fiercely protective of her brood (even when the other hens aren't paying her chicks any mind whatsoever). OEGs almost all will go broody.

Other breeds known to go broody are Silkies and Cochins. There are always some individuals within a "broody breed" that won't go broody. For instance, my Buckeyes are a breed known to go broody, but I have about 25-50% that go broody and some never do.

Also, a lot of the production lines of breeds known for broodiness have been bred for egg production and will no longer go broody.

Leghorns, like a lot of the other Mediterranean breeds, long ago, had the broodiness trait bred out of them. They are known NOT to go broody. That is also the reason the Leghorn is one of the most productive egg layers. When a hen goes broody, she stops laying eggs.

 

[THunter]

Another good broody choice is a game crossed with a standard large fowl like austalorps (my cross of choice), orpingtons, or Plymouth Rocks. You can usually find them pretty easy. They make good sitters and great mothers.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Quote:
Never say never my friend!!

I have a Minorca that routinely goes broody every year.

 

[THunter]

Didn't say never.