NY chicken lover!!!!

[Lynzi777]

Cooped Up, LIchick and Stoopid both have silkies available. We are just starting our silkie breeding season now, and I am doing an experiment in the next few weeks with DNA sex testing. I'm going to test 6 chicks and see if the 99% accuracy rate really works.

Lynzi, again both of the folks on the Southern thread have silkies available.

I just went over to that thread and it does seem some people have some silkie hens for sale, however thats just too far for me to travel in one day. If it takes me 4hrs to get to CT I'm sure it takes just as long, if not longer to get to the LI area. Its too bad I wasn't searching for these two weeks ago when I DID have a trip to CT planned. I could have picked something up while I was down there. Owell, everything happens for a reason a guess!

The DNA sex testing experiment sounds interesting.

 

[Cass]

I honestly don't think you need worry about a broody unless you leave eggs in the box. If you collect them regularly I doubt any hen is likely to sit. Though they might. I personally have stopped leaving the wooden eggs in the boxes.

In my experience hens go broody. Period. When they want to. Period. They don't care if there are eggs or not. I have had 2 go broody on NOTHING....empty nest box and the middle of the sand floor. Two different breeds, 2 different locations. I have had a couple go broody and not want the whole job so they steal another broodies spot the minute she jumps off to eat. Then when the real momma comes back they share the nest until push comes to shove and it always does come to shove. Broodiness seems to be hormonal. Their comb gets pale and they stop laying. It doesn't seem to be something you can control, nor can they...kinda like PMS. LOL. In my opinion a true broody hen has removed all her chest feathers. Once that happens nothing is going to stop them from sitting there until something hatches from underneath them. If they are just sitting there and not moving, but still have chest feathers they haven't really committed to hatching babies.

I currently have 4 broody hens down there. I am NOT amused. I gave one 7 eggs, hoping none hatch and I can stick some of the chicks they grade schools are hatching under her. I set her eggs the day before the grade school did, so the timing will work well. One hen I keep throwing out of the nest box, but she hasn't laid an egg in over 2 weeks. Again, I am NOT amused. I may let her sit for a few days and then shove chicks under her.

 

[AQHAchick22]

In this speak of broody hens I have eggs that I it into lockdown last night and I have a broody hen who is sitting on 4 eggs right now, I'm not sure if they are fertile. Should I slip a couple chicks under her after they hatch or should I take a couple eggs from the incubator and put them under her now?

 

[Cass]

In this speak of broody hens I have eggs that I it into lockdown last night and I have a broody hen who is sitting on 4 eggs right now, I'm not sure if they are fertile. Should I slip a couple chicks under her after they hatch or should I take a couple eggs from the incubator and put them under her now?

Hmmm...how long has she been sitting? I have had good luck with sticking chicks under a broody if she has been sitting for over 2 weeks. Lousy luck if it was less than 2 weeks. (Seems they can count or read the calendar

)

How valuable are these chicks to you? If they are really valuable, don't risk putting them with something with a sharp beak.
How early in the morning do you go down to the coop? If you are a late riser you won't be able to rescue any chick that is rejected by the broody and it may die.
How safe an area will the chicks be in if they come out from under the momma/she rejects them? If the area isn't going to be safe for them, you might want to go the egg route. (esp if they eggs are not overly valuable to you)

 

[AQHAchick22]

Hmmm...how long has she been sitting?   I have had good luck with sticking chicks under a broody if she has been sitting for over 2 weeks.  Lousy luck if it was less than 2 weeks.  (Seems they can count or read the calendar  )  

How valuable are these chicks to you?  If they are really valuable, don't risk putting them with something with a sharp beak.
How early in the morning do  you go down to the coop?  If you are a late riser you won't be able to rescue any chick that is rejected by the broody and it may die.
How safe an area will the chicks be in if they come out from under the momma/she rejects them?   If the area isn't going to be safe for them, you  might want to go the egg route. (esp if they eggs are not overly valuable to you)

She has been sitting just over a week now...she was on 4 but I just went out and I think she ate 2 of them...the eggs in the incubator aren't valuable. They are just barnyard mixes so I'm not overly concerned about them.

I have a dog crate that I'm moving her to so she can be removed. I'm usually up by 6am and if I did put chicks under her I would make sure to be up before then to check. Ughhhhh choices....I'm not sure if one way is better than another.

 

[featherz]

In my experience hens go broody. Period. When they want to. Period. They don't care if there are eggs or not. I have had 2 go broody on NOTHING....empty nest box and the middle of the sand floor. Two different breeds, 2 different locations. I have had a

I'm with Cass. I collect all my eggs every day and I get broodies all over the place sitting on absolutely nothing.

Cass- I don't know if any of your broodies is one of my laced wyandottes, but at least when I had them the splash one LIVED to be broody. For no reason, with no eggs. But I did warn you about that lol.

 

[stonykill]

In my experience hens go broody. Period. When they want to. Period. They don't care if there are eggs or not.

absolutely 100% positively correct. At least with my flock. Leaving eggs will help entice them, sure, but if they go broody, they go broody. Period, end of story

. I currently also have 4 broody's and I'm tickled pink

. No man made incubators for this guy ....I'll take natures way. But then I don't have 84 eggs in a classroom about to hatch

.


My long winded way of saying if a hen is going to go broody she just is...period. That has been my experience,

 

[Cass]

I'm with Cass. I collect all my eggs every day and I get broodies all over the place sitting on absolutely nothing.

Cass- I don't know if any of your broodies is one of my laced wyandottes, but at least when I had them the splash one LIVED to be broody. For no reason, with no eggs. But I did warn you about that lol.

Featherz, she is only one NOT broody right now. I suspect that she will go broody any time now however. Maybe I'll put her in the small side with all the little chickies and let her mother all 96 of them. Can't you just see her puffing up and trying to cover over 50 chicks? The video just might win me $10,000 on America's Funniest Home videos.

 

[Cass]

She has been sitting just over a week now...she was on 4 but I just went out and I think she ate 2 of them...the eggs in the incubator aren't valuable. They are just barnyard mixes so I'm not overly concerned about them.

I have a dog crate that I'm moving her to so she can be removed. I'm usually up by 6am and if I did put chicks under her I would make sure to be up before then to check. Ughhhhh choices....I'm not sure if one way is better than another.

Just over a week is not long enough to put chicks under her, in my experience. If you want her to be a momma, give her 2 eggs from the 'bator and take the ones out that she is sitting on. If she hatches the replacement 2 and accepts them, stuff a few more chicks under her in the middle of the night the first night after they eggs hatch (and she has been shown to be a responsible momma)

Just my 2 cents. Your mileage may vary, as your hen is different than my hen.

 

[Cass]

Facts from a long time chicken owner (NOT ME):

ALL chicken babies are YELLOW

It takes a minimum of 12 eggs for a hen to go broody (her broody sat on 27 and hatched 9. Hmmm...wonder what went wrong?)

You can NEVER have 2 roosters in the same flock.

And my neighbor STILL believes this woman's advice regarding chickens and hatching eggs.