Orpingtons? Looking for a good dual purpose who will go broody

[Tuffoldhen]

I've had 17, yes 17 Orpingtons go broody since Spring.

 

[cluckcluck42]

Any suggestions for best dual purpose birdies? I may just get a few silkies to brood so I guess my options for dual purpose are more open now if I am not looking for a broody type in particular.

I think Barred Rocks are so cute, are they a good choice?? I've read that they are not very friendly and the roosters are aggressive.

I sure do love this forum, what great quick replies. Never thought I'd be so fascinated with chickens!

 

[cluckcluck42]

Quote:
oh my!!!!! Are they all brooding fertilized eggs or is it not a good thing? lol

How do you like your orps? Do you use them for meat or just egg laying?

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Quote:
oh my!!!!! Are they all brooding fertilized eggs or is it not a good thing? lol

How do you like your orps? Do you use them for meat or just egg laying?

I let 3 hatch out chicks the other sat on air til they gave up!!! We only butcher out our young roosters if I have too many. Those are use for crock pot recipes, roasting in a bag or chicken and dumplings. Not alot of meat on a young orp rooster, I wait til they are 5 months or so before butchering. There are only 2 of us at home so one bird does the trick for dinner menu.

 

[Krys109uk]

Any suggestions for best dual purpose birdies? I may just get a few silkies to brood so I guess my options for dual purpose are more open now if I am not looking for a broody type in particular.
I think Barred Rocks are so cute, are they a good choice?? I've read that they are not very friendly and the roosters are aggressive.

Most breeds will have an aggressive male once in a while. I never had any trouble with the barred rocks I had, but I didn't have many (& the females were inclined to go broody). They say White Leghorns are aggressive & I bred loads of them over the years & never had an aggressive bird.

Silkes make great broodies but, in my experience, are not the brightest of mothers. In UK Silkie X Sussex are most favoured as broodies as the Sussex has a bit more nouse.

Perhaps if you start a new thread asking about barred rocks the Plymouth Rock people would tell you whether they really have a propensity to aggressive behaviour & how well they do at being broody.​

 

[cluckcluck42]

Thank you, I will.

Great to have a forum to ask stuff on, since the internet has some flawed and conflicting information.

 

[jossanne]

Quote:
I love my barred rock girls. One of them went broody just before her first birthday and hatched out 8 silkies for me. She hasn't gone broody again, though. Mine are friendly, though, and cute as they can be!

I have bantam cochins that I can't keep out of the nest boxes. They'll lay eggs for about a month or so, but then they're back to wanting to hatch babies. I've heard standard cochins are great broodies too, and they'd make a nice dual-purpose bird.

The one dual-purpose bird I've kept that was my best broody was a turken. I had two that kept going broody, and together they hatched out two nests of eggs. They were wonderful, and I think they're darling!

 

[wilds of pa]

Aside from our orps, the LF Araucana tend to be broody as well, with our whites and splash girls somebody is always going broody on us, they are not very nice when trying to collect the eggs others contributed to there cause..