Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Faraday40]

My go to gal is a bantam Orpington named Cookie. If she had her way, she'd hatch about 5xs per year.

I've heard cochins & silkies are the same. We just got our 1st 2 silkies this year, so I'm guessing I'll be singing the broody blues next summer when they all go broody at the same time. (I've heard it's contagious among the broody breeds. One hen gets the idea & then that sets the others off.) Technically, there's no way to force a hen to sit on eggs, but you can try to encourage or discourage them.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

New to BYC and I got some silkies in hopes of gettin a broody about when do they start goin broody. I also got some black copper marans hoping to be able to hatch some out under a silkie about what age do marans start layin

Thanks for the info I think I'm getting my hopes up too high

@Faraday40 has given you solid information.

But I don't think your hopes are too high. Silkies are notoriously broody, and chances are she'll brood for you at some point. I agree, Silkies seem to want to begin between 6 to 8 months of age. Many lay a couple of eggs then want to sit on them.

Marans take a bit longer to mature, so their first eggs may come at 6 months if they were brooded in spring and lengthening daylight. Fall chicks often don't lay until 8 months or so as the days have to get long enough to trigger their hormones.

Good luck with your project
LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Another question have any of y'all prefer another breed for broodiness over silkies

I have used a number of breeds. And yes, the bottomline, it depends upon the individual hen. But you can hedge your bets with certain breeds that still typcially retain the genetics for brooding.

Silkies have been my go to gals as they typically are very broody prone and will brood at least 3 to 4 times a year. But they are a more delicate bird and I have had trouble with my latest string of them succumbing to either hawks or disease.

Bantam Cochins are a really good choice too. They don't brood quite as frequently as Silkies. Mine seem to brood about 2 to 3 times a year. They also aren't as efficient as a Silkie. Somehow with all that extra fluff of the bantam Cochin, the eggs tend to get to the outskirts and cool, reducing hatching rates. But, right now, I have a very good Bantam Cochin (my Rosie) who has hatched my last 2 batches, albeit she only seems to get 2 or 3 to hatch out of 5 eggs. (My Silkies would have been 4 out of 5). I sadly lost her equally efficient sister to a hawk. Bantam Cochins are very hawk prone as they waddle rather than run.

I have learned to keep my bantam broodies in a broody hutch with fully netted/wired/secured run to prevent hawks from picking them, and their tasty chicken nugget babes, off at will.

Then my breeder quality Marans have been very broody. They are seasonal, usually 1 to 2 times a year. I have an Isbar/Marans that has been excellent. Her latest hatch rate was 110%. I set 10, pulled 2 non-fertile, and she hatched 9. The sneaky gal had an egg stuck in her wing when I put her in the brooding hutch. All 9 made it to teen-hood.

With large fowl, I find it best to stay away from the commercial hatchery lines as they have been selected over generations for egg production thereby discouraging any brooding. They tend to be poor mothers when they do go broody as their genetics are incomplete. However, it is not unheard of the occasional White Leghorn or RSL going broody. I actually had 2 of my Black Star go broody, however, they did not stay the course well.

I haven't personally had them, but game hens are good choices. They can be very persistent mothers. Be prepared for some dramatics with them. They tend to fly off the nests screaming to distract predators whenever they are ready for their daily constitutional (outing for food/water/poo).

Buff Orpingtons are noted for being broody prone. However go to a good breeder. My hatchery line BO's (tried twice) were not very pleasant gals and the only one that went broody did so poorly.

Mixed breeds, especially those that have been broody hatched themselves, tend to be good brooders. I have a Cal-Grey/Barnvelder black star homebrew whose mother would nanny somewhat but never brooded. This daughter has been persistently broody this summer. I didn't need to use her, but she would have made a good mother.

I may breed my bantam Cochin to my Barnevelder rooster and let her hatch some of her own eggs to get a hybrid that will likely be very broody but just a bit bigger for better clutch coverage.

I keep a brooding stable so that I can brood 100% with hens. I have often picked up older hens from Silkie or Cochin breeders. They often have more than enough gals going broody and are willing to part with those that aren't going to advance their breeding program but are clogging up the nests. You often can get an experienced mother that way. (Be sure to properly isolate before introducing her to your flock.)

My thoughts.
LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

No pictures yet...momma keeps hiding them away...but Rosie (my bantam Cochin) just hatched my latest batch. Again 2 out of 5 developed with her. (Seems to be her thing).

These were my 2nd generation RSL/Barnevelder...so by now 3/4 Barnevelder and only 1/4 RSL. And YES...those Barnevelder genetics do appear to be showing in fine form.

I got a red chipmunk like the daughter in grow out that has lovely brown base and Barnevelder lacing.

And the other chick looks like a dashing Barnevelder chicks. I'd be hard pressed to tell it wasn't. Can't wait to see its coloration as it grows.

Hoping I've got pullets...the chipmunk stripes are pretty nice, although the red chipmunk has less head triangle. I find that somewhat indicative in the wild type (bot not auto-sexing sure).

Hope to get photos soon. They are gorgeous chicks.
LofMc

 

[Kevin with chickens]

No pictures yet...momma keeps hiding them away...but Rosie (my bantam Cochin) just hatched my latest batch. Again 2 out of 5 developed with her. (Seems to be her thing).

These were my 2nd generation RSL/Barnevelder...so by now 3/4 Barnevelder and only 1/4 RSL. And YES...those Barnevelder genetics do appear to be showing in fine form.

I got a red chipmunk like the daughter in grow out that has lovely brown base and Barnevelder lacing.

And the other chick looks like a dashing Barnevelder chicks. I'd be hard pressed to tell it wasn't. Can't wait to see its coloration as it grows.

Hoping I've got pullets...the chipmunk stripes are pretty nice, although the red chipmunk has less head triangle. I find that somewhat indicative in the wild type (bot not auto-sexing sure).

Hope to get photos soon. They are gorgeous chicks.
LofMc

Thank you so much very helpful info

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Went out and got some pics today of Rosie and the 2 F2 Barnevelder-RSL that have been producing Barnevelder looking birds by this round (being 3/4 Barny at this point).

Here is Rosie, my bantam Cochin and her latest offspring.

The darker chipmunk has more cream than is showing on the photos. The last chipmunk of this combination (Barney with his RSL/Barney daughter) turned into a lovely hen that looks full Barnevelder except for a bit of darker wash on the legs (No idea where that came from as both parents are pure yellow leg).

I can't wait to see what the Barnevelder looking chick will turn into. I'm really hoping the red chipmunk chip turns into a beauty like her sister.

You can see from the photos on the feathersite, http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGA/Barnev/BRKBarnev.html

I'm getting close to a true Barnevelder look . I can breed one more time back to dad for a 7/8 offspring. Hopefully the leg color will clean up then.

Poor man's way of getting a utility Barnevelder flock

LofMc

 

[Faraday40]

Very cute little chicks.

...but WOW what a looker your barnie-mix is!
I love her color & healthy shiny feathes. Does she always looks like she just came from the spa?

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Very cute little chicks.

...but WOW what a looker your barnie-mix is!
I love her color & healthy shiny feathes. Does she always looks like she just came from the spa?

Thank you.
I am ecstatic at what nice chicks my Barnevelder rooster is producing. I had purchased several Barnevelder chicks on a whim at a better quality feed store, thinking to breed them as Barneys are hard to find in my area, but both turned into roosters.

I kept Bernard and got rid of the brother as Bernard had such a sweet disposition and looked to be developing such nice conformation.

I had to wait to see the egg genetics in him (they have proven to be a proper Barney terra cotta as witnessed by several of his daughters).

The RSL laid a really pretty terra cotta too, so I bred her to Bernard to see if I could capture that color. Her daughter does lay darker. That daughter is red and started out almost terra cotta but has faded over time (as happens). So I bred her back to poppa. What I ddin't expect is that would so quickly produce such gorgeous lacing.

Bernard must have some really nice Barney genetics in him

Yes this daughter definitely looks very pampered. Noticed in the photo her comb looks like she is close to laying. She's 15 weeks old, so a bit precocious indeed. Hopefully she'll offer me some nice terra cotta eggs before the end of summer.

LofMc

 

[paigeioli]

I have a flock of seven and two went broody at the same time. I put a dozen eggs under both, candles on day 10, and 10 under each hen were good. Then a third hen went broody and snuggled up next to one of the. She committed, and I just let her... the broodies chose the most popular nesting boxes with the laying girls going in and out. I'm on day 19 now, and I've closed off the boxes to the other hens.

I'm a little worried because the hens won't see each other for a few days. Once the chicks hatch, my plan is to move them to a separate house and run where everyone can be seen and not murdered. Should I be worried about the mamma birds being together?Hopefully no problems, all three broody are pretty low pecking order birds...

I'll keep a close eye the first couple weeks, but I'm a teacher and school starts soon!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I have a flock of seven and two went broody at the same time. I put a dozen eggs under both, candles on day 10, and 10 under each hen were good. Then a third hen went broody and snuggled up next to one of the. She committed, and I just let her... the broodies chose the most popular nesting boxes with the laying girls going in and out. I'm on day 19 now, and I've closed off the boxes to the other hens.

I'm a little worried because the hens won't see each other for a few days. Once the chicks hatch, my plan is to move them to a separate house and run where everyone can be seen and not murdered. Should I be worried about the mamma birds being together?Hopefully no problems, all three broody are pretty low pecking order birds...

I'll keep a close eye the first couple weeks, but I'm a teacher and school starts soon!

Really depends on the hens. Some do very well co-brooding or being in the same area as they brood.

Others fight over chicks and fight each other.

You can always try it, watching carefully the first couple of days in case chicks are at risk...with Plan B arranged if troubles arise.

LofMc