Natural breeding thread

[CraziChknLady]

your broodies would get better at predator awareness and evasion, and pass on their increased and improving knowledge to their chicks, if you let them range. We have crows amongst other predators and have not lost a chick to them in years, despite being out free ranging as soon as the broody brings them off the nest (typically at 2 days old).

Yes I do let them range, eventually...not that young anymore. We used to free range all the chickens all the time but in the past I've had it where several mamas lost all chicks in a few weeks and sadly even the mamas were taken too. Even a racoon that ripped out the vent and grabbed a few that way. We also had a neighbors dog climb through the cattle gate to get them. If it's not the predators it's the other members of the flock that attack the chicks, even if the mama is there. Plus having the mama go in the coop but the chicks running around screaming as they can't find her has also happened way too many times in which I have to run around to get them ( and resulted in an injury to me that I probably should have gone to the ER for). I find it best to let them stay for a week or so in separate area in coop then move them to their own separated pen ( next to the adults), then gradually introduce when chicks are bigger.

 

[Perris]

Actually from what month on can I expect broody chickens?

It is very variable, even with the same broody.

I don't rush to let them brood as I (and others) have found that earlier broods typically have more males and later broods have more females. In any event, I don't let one sit until wild birds are sitting, because the latter intuit well when the insect populations they will need to feed their young will become prolific enough for the job. There are studies on that which I can probably dig out if you are really interested.

 

[Perris]

Question: does significant human intervention during the setting, incubation, and raising of a brood negate its 'naturalness'?

How natural is it, really, if the human keeper controls a lot of the parameters? Or is 'natural' here just standing for 'using a broody rather than an incubator'?

 

[NanaK]

Back on topicish, does anyone already have chickens going broody? Actually from what month on can I expect broody chickens?

I have had hens go broody in almost every month of the year. Mostly I do not let them brood when the weather is very cold or very hot (mid 90s). I do not have any broody at the moment but that could change at any time.

 

[NanaK]

Question: does significant human intervention during the setting, incubation, and raising of a brood negate its 'naturalness'?

How natural is it, really, if the human keeper controls a lot of the parameters? Or is 'natural' here just standing for 'using a broody rather than an incubator'?

I believe you will get many different answers to this.

Since my chickens are domesticated I consider "natural" to mean minimal intervention by me.

My birds are always protected by fencing. Broodies are given a private space from incubation until the chicks are a few weeks old. When the hen seems ready to leave the chicks on their own, this is when they mix with the flock.

This is as natural as it gets for me.

We are in a rural area with coyote, bobcat, red fox, gray fox (these climb trees), raccoon, weasels, mink, skunk, very large black snakes, couple types of hawks, eagles, vultures and occasionally black bear.

There are lots of chicken keepers in my area. Most that free range loose many birds each year and just plan on replacing often. I just can't do this. So I give my birds a large run and don't overstock so they have lots of room. I give them veggies from my garden since they can't free range. This is the best I can do for them.

 

[Skyeknight]

It is very variable, even with the same broody.

I don't rush to let them brood as I (and others) have found that earlier broods typically have more males and later broods have more females. In any event, I don't let one sit until wild birds are sitting, because the latter intuit well when the insect populations they will need to feed their young will become prolific enough for the job. There are studies on that which I can probably dig out if you are really interested.

If it isn't too much of a hassle then I would love to read those studies! I always love to read scientific papers so I don't take results or conclusions out of context.

 

[NanaK]

I don't rush to let them brood as I (and others) have found that earlier broods typically have more males and later broods have more females.

I find this interesting.
Some where I've read that slightly cooler temps produce more males and slightly warmer temps produce more females. This is speaking of incubator hatches and sorry I do not have a link.

I really thought this was another old wives tale so very interested in any information you may have.

 

[Perris]

here's one @Skyeknight and @NanaK
https://bou.org.uk/blog-diez-mendez-many-onsets-of-incubation/

 

[Skyeknight]

Some where I've read that slightly cooler temps produce more males and slightly warmer temps produce more females. This is speaking of incubator hatches and sorry I do not have a link.

This is misinformation that has spread, they aren't like turtles where temperature decides the sex. Birds have clear sex chromosomes with females having ZW and males having ZZ. Once a bird egg has been laid chromosomes don't just randomly change shape completely. Also if this was true don't you think the egg industry would just stop hatching roosters so they don't kill them at 1 day old?

 

[Skyeknight]

This is misinformation that has spread, they aren't like turtles where temperature decides the sex. Birds have clear sex chromosomes with females having ZW and males having ZZ. Once a bird egg has been laid chromosomes don't just randomly change shape completely. Also if this was true don't you think the egg industry would just stop hatching roosters so they don't kill them at 1 day old?

I found the source the study talking about this. It is about Australian brush-turkeys (Alectura lathami) which lay their eggs in a mount of organic material and do not brood themselves. So above 36 degrees Celsius male embryo start dying, while below 31 degrees Celsius females start dying. This however has not been confirmed to be the case for chickens.

https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2004.0247
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1629050/