My Kraienkoppe Hens Are So Small! How many large eggs can they brood?

[Sparklee]

Wow! My little Kraienkoppe hens are so cute. I knew they'd be smallish, but not this tiny. They are around 4 months old and shockingly petite.

I'm going to try to use them as broodies next spring to hatch out large eggs. Plus I'd like them to do the brooding for me.

I had guessed they could probably do 8 eggs until seeing them at almost full size. Now I wonder if they could even do 3 large eggs.

Anyone have any experience with Kraienkoppe hens as broodies?

 

[Emzyyy]

I have never even heard of them?

 

[Jenski]

Let's see 'em!

How big are they?

 

[Chickndaddy]

What Feathersite says about the Kraienkoppe:

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGK/Kraien/BRKKraien.html

 

[Judy]

See my sig line. Last time I let her try to set about 10 but only one hatched; it was too many, and they were shipped and poopy eggs. She is also a great mother, and raised babies right in with the flock. I think she could set about 5 or 6 without a problem. Yours are probably not full size at 4 months.

 

[chickenannie]

Why don't you get a good banty or large hen that liked to go broody and have her sit on your Kraineehoppe, oops how do you spell that???? anyways, have someone else hatch a bunch of the eggs.

 

[Sparklee]

Quote:
Very funny. Thanks for the laff. I have no pics and now it's dark. Plus, I thought about getting pichers earlier, but couldn't think how anyone could tell how big the birds were unless I put a quarter next to them or something else that everyone knows the size of.

 

[Sparklee]

Quote:
Thank you! I'm glad someone else has them and some experience.

So. 5 or 6 large eggs.

 

[Sparklee]

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Sit on my Kraienkoope? LOL. I guess that would solve one problem, but would create another, huh?

I want them to go broody in the spring and I can't even think about getting more birds (a banty) and brooding them this fall. No. No. And finding a large hen that likes to go broody would be a big job, I think. I've never seen one on Craigs list. I rarely ever even see chickens on our local Craigs list. None of my big hens like going broody. They do it for the morning and then get bored and flake out in the afternoon.

If/when I give up on the Kraienkoppes, then I may just try a banty or two because that is a good idea. But I still have hope for the Kraienkoppes.

 

[Kev]

I have a trio. They are small-ish but their breasts are rather large.

They(at least those two hens) actually cover a very good number of eggs. Example, many LARGE breed hens can only cover 4-5 peafowl eggs.. however the hen each have been able to cover and incubate to hatching, 6 eggs. 7 if I try to push it with them. Does not seem a big deal but, peafowl eggs are big and consider their "small size" compared to a big fat heavy hen(who also eats way and poop more...)

Excellent at keeping the eggs under them too, making big pains to make sure all eggs are properly tucked under, instead of just sitting down and shuffling a little bit like so many hens seem to do at the most.

Didn't set peafowl eggs under them this year though.. both hens went broody in the same nest and brought off 18 chicks, looked in the nest and only 3 eggs were left(all turned out 'rotten', no idea if infertile or got chilled/killed).