Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[bobbieschicks]

thanks so much for the information -- i'm feeding non-soy all-natural feed, lots of kale, free-ranging whenever i'm home, a nice big run for when i'm not... but i only have three fake eggs in the nest.  i will get a few more & see what happens.  

I use ping pong balls, they're cheap and easily found at Walmart. I've also had girls go broody sitting on empty nests.

 

[ocap]

. Most birds are not true brooders. They (like some one else said)dabble. They act like a broody, they sound like a broody, but they are not broody.

Is there a way to breed for the broody trait? is the broody trait carried by the rooster or the hen? Seems there are plenty of breeds without the broody tendency. I want two flocks, one that broods one that does not.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
Over the century's Broodiness has been bred out of many breeds of chickens on purpose. Because once a hen goes broody they stop laying eggs. There are several breeds of chickens that have the broody trait still. Some are soo broody its hard to get enough eggs from them to replenish the breed.

Look up Hendersons Chicken chart its a great resource for traits in breeds of chickens.

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

He breaks the list down by:
breed
variety rarity
class and type
origins
egg color and size
comb stlye
Brooding hardiness maturing
Behavior

In general The ones I Know of for broodyness are Cochins, Silkys, Orphingtons, and Game fowl. By far My preference would be Game or game cross for broodys. They are fierce protectors of their chicks and I need that for my neck of the woods.

deb

 

[jammyjammy2112]

ok i had a broody hen last summer she went broody and i bougth 12 fertilised eggs of a man i new.The hen sat on the eggs. Then my silkie went broody i wasnt going to keep her on eggs becouse i allready had one so another man i new asked could he use the silkie to hatch pheasants and release them becouse the type of peasant was extreamly rare/endangered

so i gave her to him anyway back to the broody hen.it came to the hatch date it was day 21 still no chicks

.Then it was day 22 still no chicks

.Then day 23 still no chicks

. i was about to trow the eggs out but i went back out to the nursery coop that evening i herd a strange noise i lifted the hen up there was a healthy maran chick

.But i had a big tub of water for the mom and a tiny one for the chick but about a week later i went up to the coop and...............................................i think you can guess what happined next.......................................................................i looked in i couldnt see the chick only mama hen. the chick had jumped into the water and drowned

i will no next time. (the silkie succesfully hatched 6 peasant chicks and only 3 lived and were roloest into the wild.another hen had killed some.

 

[Tripp16]

Hey everyone! Long time since I've been on here. I have one serama broody hen, one that wants to go broody on me. Then another standard hen who is toying with the idea. Hopefully we will have lots of babies soon.

 

[delisha]

Quote: silkies

 

[bobbieschicks]

Silky and silky mixes will be a choice if you want to hatch just a few chicks each time. But if you can get Orpingtons to go broody, then you'll have a great big incubator!

My Blue Splash Copper Maran pullet Bunny is sitting in the nest box tonight. She laid an egg earlier today and then spent the better part of the afternoon hanging out in the box. I'm hoping she isn't ill, but is instead broody. Time will tell. She has been puffing up and screechy now for several days, but tonight is her first night off the roost. If she stays there another two days and doesn't lay another egg I'll let her have a couple of her eggs to hatch.

 

[Tripp16]

Is there a way to breed for the broody trait? is the broody trait carried by the rooster or the hen? Seems there are plenty of breeds without the broody tendency. I want two flocks, one that broods one that does not.

The broody trait comes in the breed. For instance. I bred my hens to a Standard Gamefowl. Which are pretty good brooders. I kept a pullet from him. The mother is a EE. She is broody and only been laying for 3 months. All depends on the genetics of the breed.

 

[jammyjammy2112]

if you mixe silkies with a good layer they will proble be excellent mothers and eggers like a silkie with a rode island but it depends the egg the babies make could be small silkie eggs or big eggs but i would keep the ones that are laying big eggs and make a genetic pool of them (breed them on) or buffs

 

[bobbieschicks]

if you mixe silkies with a good layer they will proble be excellent mothers and eggers like a silkie with a rode island but it depends the egg the babies make could be small silkie eggs or big eggs but i would keep the ones that are laying big eggs and make a genetic pool of them (breed them on) or buffs 

I have a silky mixed with white leghorn & EE as well, Vanilla Ice. She lays a small green egg, not as small as a silky egg, but not large like the White Leghorn egg.