Mixing heritage breed roosters with Hy-Line hens

[ChookaPete]

Sorry for posting off-topic on your thread, I am just excited to share to YOU specifically since your post partially inspired me to try for broodies. I left a clutch of 12+ eggs in the corner nest a few days but was forced to gather them in because it was warm for a few weeks(I even planted my potatoes and able to wear sweatshirt. Hopefully my potatoes will survive I thought that was the last frost)
I was hoping to make one of my chickens broody, but rain and cold temp rolled in just as the days goes. So I had took all of the previous days’ eggs in and sell them at job place’s neighborhood and also sold all of my stock up eggs(up to 100 eggs!)
...Then a Golden Comet decided to sit overnight. It’s still too early to tell if she’s committed but an industrial hybrid going broody??? And I didn’t even made everything optimal yet idk why she would even go broody the condition is terrible
Actually this is the first time a chicken sat in a nest over night, or slept in a nest at all. All of the previous hens refused to stay even though they made tuk-tuk sounds and hissy(territoria?) when they were going to lay. Sassy Stripey would even peck me, but this one sounds different. First time got a broody and it ain’t mine! Fun
(yeah she leaves out an egg in middle nest. So I suspect she has a full clutch under her but I haven’t been able to inspect yet)

All good! I am glad I was an inspiration!



I think the test is - if a female chicken sleeps two consecutive nights on the nest, as well as shows signs like puffing out her chest, making those broody noises towards other chickens near her etc., THEN she is Certified as Broody.

It is difficult with hybrid hens because as you say - they are bred to not be broody. One of my other Hy-Lines went broody but quickly stopped. My Leghorn Cross pullet went broody but I easily snapped her out of it by just removing her nest and eggs when she hopped off to puff her chest at a nearby hen!

However my dear, beautiful Clover, a Hy-Line, definitely wants to be a Mama! This is her third time broody now, it only took a few eggs in the nest for a few days to make her go broody (after being broody over a month earlier), and it is coming up to two weeks. I am trying to source some fertile eggs for her.

 

[ChookaPete]

Unfortunately, I already sold all of the eggs I would like her to incubate instead so I’m not sure if I should leave as is or try to swap her clutch whenever I get enough new eggs. I don't know if she want to sit an extra 4 days or more though...may break her broodiness. I wanted leghorns, white eggs only but may leave her as is. This is my first experience after all and it’s not best I accidentally break her fragile motherly instinct like my previous slightly broody blue hen too (it’s a long story)

Four days extra should be fine. Just try to find some Leghorn eggs and slip them underneath her at night when she is sleepy.

Even after the eggs have hatched, the chook is still somewhat broody - she still makes those little 'tuk-tuk-tuk' noises as she chases after her chicks, and at night she keeps them warm underneath her, essentially incubating them, for at least a week or so.


Here's Mama Clover with her baby Chamomile (Leghorn Cross), May 2024:

You can hear Clover's 'tuk-tuk-tuk' sounds to her baby here:
https://streamable.com/1gfedk



In this video you can hear Chamomile cheeping while she is nice and warm being incubated by her Mama Clover:
https://streamable.com/fgze6u

 

[ChookaPete]

Oh sorry for any confusion - from 9th March 2025 my Clover has been broody for the third time! And this is after only being broody during January!

She is steadfast on being a Mum!

 

[ChookaPete]

I am trying to find some soon-to-be-hatched chicks of a different breed, for Clover to take into her care.

My backup plan is to get two Hy-Line chicks that are due to be hatched this Friday, then place them underneath Clover at night.

 

[MoonMoon]

Sorry for posting off-topic on your thread, I am just excited to share to YOU specifically since your post partially inspired me to try for broodies. I left a clutch of 12+ eggs in the corner nest a few days but was forced to gather them in because it was warm for a few weeks(I even planted my potatoes and able to wear sweatshirt. Hopefully my potatoes will survive I thought that was the last frost)
I was hoping to make one of my chickens broody, but rain and cold temp rolled in just as the days goes. So I had took all of the previous days’ eggs in and sell them at job place’s neighborhood and also sold all of my stock up eggs(up to 100 eggs!)
...Then a Golden Comet decided to sit overnight. It’s still too early to tell if she’s committed but an industrial hybrid going broody??? And I didn’t even made everything optimal yet idk why she would even go broody the condition is terrible
Actually this is the first time a chicken sat in a nest over night, or slept in a nest at all. All of the previous hens refused to stay even though they made tuk-tuk sounds and hissy(territoria?) when they were going to lay. Sassy Stripey would even peck me, but this one sounds different. First time got a broody and it ain’t mine! Fun
(yeah she leaves out an egg in middle nest. So I suspect she has a full clutch under her but I haven’t been able to inspect yet)

Unfortunately, since then, she or the other hens kept breaking the eggs she was sitting on. We started with 14 eggs and about 5 broke. I couldn’t separate the flock yet and we weren’t finishing the new coop fast enough. On day 7 I moved the broody to a different nest but she ran back to the old one. That should have been an obvious sign I shouldn't have moved her. I removed 5 dead eggs. On day 16, Butter did a huge poop on the rim of the nest. Disgusted and yet have time to clean it, I move the last 4 eggs over the nest beside it and also the broody. She sat there for a bit so I thought it was going to be fine. The next time I saw her on the old nest and 2 eggs cooling on the other nest. Panicked and put them back but at this point nothing is salvageable. On day 19, candled all of the eggs and no movement...day 20, I separated the broody from the nesting coop and discarded the eggs. There were very developed chicks in there. Basically fully developed, with pretty markings too. Sad

The broody was very committed and a good mom it seems. I believe it’s all my fault and she would have been great if not because of me. I will be keeping an eye on her to see if she’s willing to try again in the summer but yeah. We tried.

 

[ChookaPete]

I am trying to find some soon-to-be-hatched chicks of a different breed, for Clover to take into her care.

My backup plan is to get two Hy-Line chicks that are due to be hatched this Friday, then place them underneath Clover at night.

Almost a month later...

 

[MoonMoon]

Almost a month later...

View attachment 4103329

Lovely! I wanted to buy some chicks for my broody too, a poultry swap was supposed to happen near hatching date, woke up early and had my father drive us almost an hour to the usual location empty. If not, we would’ve bought 10+ more laying hens(for profit), a few ducks or ducklings, and I would’ve bought day-old chicks for Butter. Came to a different city to see the gathering not happening so unfortunately, I had to go home empty handed and break my broody

She actually sat for 23 days and still didn't give up. I have to do it for her, poor girl.

 

[ChookaPete]

Lovely! I wanted to buy some chicks for my broody too, a poultry swap was supposed to happen near hatching date, woke up early and had my father drive us almost an hour to the usual location empty. If not, we would’ve bought 10+ more laying hens(for profit), a few ducks or ducklings, and I would’ve bought day-old chicks for Butter. Came to a different city to see the gathering not happening so unfortunately, I had to go home empty handed and break my broody

She actually sat for 23 days and still didn't give up. I have to do it for her, poor girl.

Aww poor thing! Oh well, breaking her is the best thing for her health. The good thing is, she likely will go broody again.

Just last night a local breeder offered me a few newly hatched black chicks, who possibly are Ancona-Plymouth Rock crosses, or are pure-bred of either breed. However as my Clover is completely dedicated to her two little babies (three weeks old), she would see any new chicks as a threat.

I would like to raise them myself separately, however I will be away for the next few weeks so I cannot attend to them myself daily if they are in a brooder.

 

[MoonMoon]

Aww poor thing! Oh well, breaking her is the best thing for her health. The good thing is, she likely will go broody again.

Just last night a local breeder offered me a few newly hatched black chicks, who possibly are Ancona-Plymouth Rock crosses, or are pure-bred of either breed. However as my Clover is completely dedicated to her two little babies (three weeks old), she would see any new chicks as a threat.

I would like to raise them myself separately, however I will be away for the next few weeks so I cannot attend to them myself daily if they are in a brooder.

The internet kept telling me it’s 50/50 if she’ll try again, We'll see. For now, she’s on cooldown, though she’s already very fat and lazy again.

I work 12 hours almost every day, so I wouldn't have time to raise chicks myself too. I mean, I could do a lot more than you but still a bit restricted, I'm only home at night. I didn't plan to buy an incubator if the broody succeeded, even if only 4 hatched out but because of me being a dum-dum(I've candled, day 15 before the incident all of the eggs were still alive) I've decided to order a 30 eggs incubator. Hopefully I'll manage to raise the chicks myself but I would've liked the broody do it all for me lol. But the incubator is not arriving, even though it's promised to come on the 11th-17th. It's 23rd now, they should only be 60 km from here so I have no idea why aren't they delivering.

I also heard roosters raised by broody is better gentleman but so far no one else want to try brooding too. I've been leaving a few eggs in the coop just because but like, nobody is sitting over night lol, I have no idea anyone showing signs or not either I am away most of the day, so it's all just a lottery game now. I don't want to buy new rooster but my current one is an ass and quite old already. I may replace him, or he need an assistant or something.

 

[MoonMoon]

The internet kept telling me it’s 50/50 if she’ll try again, We'll see. For now, she’s on cooldown, though she’s already very fat and lazy again.

I work 12 hours almost every day, so I wouldn't have time to raise chicks myself too. I mean, I could do a lot more than you but still a bit restricted, I'm only home at night. I didn't plan to buy an incubator if the broody succeeded, even if only 4 hatched out but because of me being a dum-dum(I've candled, day 15 before the incident all of the eggs were still alive) I've decided to order a 30 eggs incubator. Hopefully I'll manage to raise the chicks myself but I would've liked the broody do it all for me lol. But the incubator is not arriving, even though it's promised to come on the 11th-17th. It's 23rd now, they should only be 60 km from here so I have no idea why aren't they delivering.

I also heard roosters raised by broody is better gentleman but so far no one else want to try brooding too. I've been leaving a few eggs in the coop just because but like, nobody is sitting over night lol, I have no idea anyone showing signs or not either I am away most of the day, so it's all just a lottery game now. I don't want to buy new rooster but my current one is an ass and quite old already. I may replace him, or he need an assistant or something.

Okay, it arrived super late for some odd reason but okay...

Hopefully, I won't mess up this time.

There’s only 1 severely dirty egg but I’m eyeing it right now. We’ll see if it’ll hatch.