My ISA wants to be broody

[Livia Ammon]

My sweet ISA brown chicken, Crazy Eye, wanted to have chicks…

…For all of three minutes.
I had just stuffed my rollout nest boxes with straw because they weren’t laying in them. I also put a clean fake ceramic egg in a few of them. Crazy Eye started acting odd when she stretched her neck as far as it would go and inspected the nest boxes with her good eye. She then jumped in and sat on the faux egg, but she was all shifty and puffy and started crooning softly. I was like: what’s up? You’re kinda being weird, but I brushed it off. She started picking up straw from the next boxes next to her and putting it in her box. I started to suspect at this point, but I withheld judgment until she noticed the egg wasn’t underneath her and she pushed it under her. At this point I knew, so I approached her to see if she would peck at me, and she came to her senses, hopped out and ran off.
Silly chicken

 

[Breeze73]

I heard that they make great body hens with everyone else’s eggs of course. I figured if she ever wanted to give it a go I would let her as long as they weren’t her eggs. My ISA is to busy into everything though lol

 

[Livia Ammon]

I heard that they make great body hens with everyone else’s eggs of course. I figured if she ever wanted to give it a go I would let her as long as they weren’t her eggs. My ISA is to busy into everything though lol

I’ve never really seen broody behavior from my ISAs, but I guess that now that she’s getting older, her priorities are changing.

 

[Breeze73]

I’ve never really seen broody behavior from my ISAs, but I guess that now that she’s getting older, her priorities are changing.

Guess that happens to the best of us lol. Mine hasn’t gone broody either but I’ll go with it as long as it’s not her eggs

 

[Karlkurla Chooks]

Two of my Hy-Line hens have gone broody. In fact one of them was broody three times. She hatched one egg (four didn't hatch) and raised the pullet, and also raised two newly-hatched pullets. She's a good mama.

 

[Livia Ammon]

Two of my Hy-Line hens have gone broody. In fact one of them was broody three times. She hatched one egg (four didn't hatch) and raised the pullet, and also raised two newly-hatched pullets. She's a good mama.

Wow. Pretty impressive. I feel like chickens that are marketed as being almost never broody are more likely to get broody than people think. The history and genetics of chickens of days past shines through in unexpected ways.

 

[Karlkurla Chooks]

Wow. Pretty impressive. I feel like chickens that are marketed as being almost never broody are more likely to get broody than people think. The history and genetics of chickens of days past shines through in unexpected ways.

Thank you!

Here is she is, my best mama Hy-Line, Clover, with her new-hatched Chamomile:

And here she is with her babies Cocoa & Coffee:

You are correct - I think that the genetics are so complex, that it is impossible to make blanket statements about specific behaviours like "this breed does not go broody, that breed is calm, that other breed is flighty" etc.


One of my Light Sussex pullets is currently broody, after laying her first clutch of eggs. She's a little bit older than her two sisters, so I am wondering if they will also go broody soon. I'll just wait and see. It's winter where I am at the moment so I'm not too concerned.

 

[Livia Ammon]

Thank you!

Here is she is, my best mama Hy-Line, Clover, with her new-hatched Chamomile:

View attachment 4171285



And here she is with her babies Cocoa & Coffee:
View attachment 4171287



You are correct - I think that the genetics are so complex, that it is impossible to make blanket statements about specific behaviours like "this breed does not go broody, that breed is calm, that other breed is flighty" etc.


One of my Light Sussex pullets is currently broody, after laying her first clutch of eggs. She's a little bit older than her two sisters, so I am wondering if they will also go broody soon. I'll just wait and see. It's winter where I am at the moment so I'm not too concerned.

What cuties!

 

[Shadrach]

Wow. Pretty impressive. I feel like chickens that are marketed as being almost never broody are more likely to get broody than people think. The history and genetics of chickens of days past shines through in unexpected ways

You are correct - I think that the genetics are so complex, that it is impossible to make blanket statements about specific behaviours like "this breed does not go broody, that breed is calm, that other breed is flighty" etc.

I've been hearing this or that breed don't go broody for years.
There does seem to be some truth in this; I've had red sex links go part broody on a few occasions but never got past a day or two. The drive is still in there somewhere thankfully.

 

[Ribh]

I've been hearing this or that breed don't go broody for years.
There does seem to be some truth in this; I've had red sex links go part broody on a few occasions but never got past a day or two. The drive is still in there somewhere thankfully.

I Remember you telling me, when my daft Campine went broody the first time, that any hen will go broody if they consider their environment is conducive to raising chicks.