planning...needing advice for breeding....and using a broody hen

[sunket77]

I am planning on breeding in the spring hopefully. I am wanting to cross my silkie hen and my bantam cochin roo. I don't have a bator and I want to use the hen when she goes broody. How in the world do I time all of this??? The roo is separate from her so I guess I will need to do some switching around closer to breeding time. I have a trio of silkies so I want to swap the silkie roo for the cohin which is with my big girls. I love the look of cochin/silkie crosses! So how do I time this and set aside the eggs for when she decides to go broody!?? Where do I keep them? do I just wait and let her lay the eggs herself and make a clutch of her own?

 

[ams3651]

Im no expert but I can tell you my experience. Most of the time they will go broody in early spring to early summer, not all but most. I dont know about breeds that are well known for being broody. I sat her on plastic eggs for a couple days while I gathered eggs from her sisters because she wont lay after going broody. I think you can let her eggs sit unrefrigerated for a few days in case she would go broody or maybe you want to have 2 hens of that breed so you could continue to collect. Maybe someone with breeding experience will chime in. Good Luck,

 

[sunket77]

thanks! I know that silkies are known for going broody and her former owner said she did it very well, so I've got that part covered.

 

[CHIC]

I have been told to collect the eggs and keep them on the kitchen counter until you are ready for them to be sat on. They will last up to 10 days that way so you can collect a good number