Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Perris]

the leghorn is definitely a boy, and a baby tree hugger

He's 4 weeks old today. And these cuties are 1 day old

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

Stuck at the airport n ran across this interesting piece and wanted to get some pros experience and input as to if this might be true?!
Less males hatch under broody hens than when hatched from an incubator....?

 

[McChooky]

Stuck at the airport n ran across this interesting piece and wanted to get some pros experience and input as to if this might be true?!
Less males hatch under broody hens than when hatched from an incubator....?

I've heard people say the opposite as well. One poster said her broody only gave her roosters lol

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

I've heard people say the opposite as well. One poster said her broody only gave her roosters lol

Ok didn't think much weight should be put into it...but I didn't wanna keep contributing to over population of males either!
DH said they also thought the world was flat...see where that got em!
Lolol
Thank you!

 

[McChooky]

Ok didn't think much weight should be put into it...but I didn't wanna keep contributing to over population of males either!
DH said they also thought the world was flat...see where that got em!
Lolol
Thank you!

Some chicks that are determined to be pullets can change into roosters later .So does it do any good to get all pullets if they can switch on us?

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Stuck at the airport n ran across this interesting piece and wanted to get some pros experience and input as to if this might be true?!
Less males hatch under broody hens than when hatched from an incubator....?

Not in my personal experience. I have had ALL male hatches under a broody (several of them) one year.

Overall...after 10 years of broody hatching...I'm pretty confident it's close to 50/50. Some years run female, others half/half, others run male.

A broody doesn't change the DNA in the egg that determines whether male or female. Some research indicates lower temps favor girls. However, as stated, my flock overall runs 50/50.

LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Some chicks that are determined to be pullets can change into roosters later .So does it do any good to get all pullets if they can switch on us?

That's a misnomer. Females don't switch into males. They can't reproduce as males.

When a hen ages, or other environmental factors occur, her female hormones can deplete leaving male hormones (just as in human female menopause), and the hen can go through henopause.

This can cause some male-ish traits...sort of a crow, some spikier feathers (but not a full saddle)...again very similar to menopause.

Hatch your girls. They'll be girls.

LofMc

 

[McChooky]

That's a misnomer. Females don't switch into males. They can't reproduce as males.

When a hen ages, or other environmental factors occur, her female hormones can deplete leaving male hormones (just as in human female menopause), and the hen can go through henopause.

This can cause some male-ish traits...sort of a crow, some spikier feathers (but not a full saddle)...again very similar to menopause.

Hatch your girls. They'll be girls.

LofMc

You are correct !Technically they're still hens ."When the dormant, right-side gonad is switched on, it develops into a male sex organ, called an ovotestis. Scientists have found that an ovotestis will produce sperm". https://backyardpoultry.iamcountrys...ntaneous-sex-reversal-is-that-my-hen-crowing/

 

[Lady of McCamley]

You are correct !Technically they're still hens ."When the dormant, right-side gonad is switched on, it develops into a male sex organ, called an ovotestis. Scientists have found that an ovotestis will produce sperm". https://backyardpoultry.iamcountrys...ntaneous-sex-reversal-is-that-my-hen-crowing/

Thank you for sharing that article. However it draws a fairly sensationalized inaccurate conclusion. Hens do not change into roosters as the heading states.

It is true that when the left ovary recedes or is injured, the right gonad will take over and produce androgens (male hormones). It always was producing some, as in most females (including human), there are some male androgens in a healthy female body (otherwise we females wouldn't have muscle as testosterone is the muscle builder).

However, whether this right gonad produces true, functioning "sperm" is still in question. The hen definitely does not have (or grow) a vas deferens nor male "spike" that allows mating. So while the right gonad *may* produce spermatids, they have nowhere to go. It is highly questioned if they could actually fertilize an egg.

All that has happened is the right gonad has taken over producing androgens that phenotypically modify the hen (spikier feathers, a deeper "voice") but do not grow male anatomy. Those androgens (as any steroid) do produce more aggressive behavior. (Again, it can be likened to henopause as the natural estrogen cycle is depleted letting the underlying androgens take over...in some...the right gonad will develop even more producing more androgens).

However, the hen is still a hen anatomically and genetically though she may have a deeper "voice," spikier feathers, attempt to crow, and have some male-type aggression. (Interestingly, the rooster only has two testes. It is only the hen that has a left ovary and a right gonad that can produce androgens).

So back to the original concern of the poster...NO. Your hens will not become roosters. This kind of "reversal" is rare and almost always the result of a tumor or injury to the left ovary. And it still will not produce a true, functioning rooster....just a grumpy, noisy hen on "steroids" (androgens).

LofMc

 

[dgh]

I have used a broody hen for years. BUT never a full-sized bird. raising chicks has by and large been bred out of them over centuries. I USE A BANTAM. they will not cursh the eggs with their weight-provide heat, water, food, and protection. I also put live chicks under a broody bantam with 90% success. I do it at night.