RIR gone broody :)

[Knight Hawk Ranch]

Well this evening when I went shut the girls in for the night and feed up, I discovered one of my ladies still on the nest.
She was still on there several hours later when I went to put the dog out and finish up stalls.
I am hoping she is settin up shop for babies.

 

[LinckHillPoultry]

Wow. That is really rare for a Rhode Island Red.
I've never had any of my RIR's go broody, just my bantam cochin, my silkie, and my white mix.
Good luck!

 

[Knight Hawk Ranch]

I am crossing my fingers on her.

I have had two different small flocks of 7 or so birds prior to this flock and have had at least one go broody in each batch.

I didn't realize until I joined here that they were not normally 'broody' type birds. So I am very pleased that she (this hen) seams to be of the sitting 'mind'.

I will know in the next few days if she plans to stay this way.

Of course I just brought home 9 3 week old biddies so that might have given her some ideas.

 

[ginasmarans]

Join the club! I have 2 white leghorn hens due to hatch chicks next week. They didn't read the owner's manual.

 

[Knight Hawk Ranch]

Ok, this could get interesting.

This am when I open the coop to let the flock out for the day, my broody flew off the nest.

So I thought, well she isn't for real about it.
This afternoon, I came home and DH was home for most of the day. He said she tucked all the extra eggs under her and was on the nest.
I went out to put them up for the evening and she is on a DIFFERNT nest. I guess she changed accomadations

Actually, what I think happened is when she got off the nest this morning someone else jumped in to lay their egg and she was GOING to set on something so went to the next nest over.
I moved her eggs into the new nest and added more hay.
Hopefully, she won't keep playing swap a nest on me.
At least she is SETTTING.

 

[NYREDS]

Quote:
I don't know how many Reds you've had or for how long you've had them but it's hardly rare for them to go broody.
I've raised them for over 25 years and raise 200+ per year and mine go broody all the time. I have 6 setting right now and several more that want to.
What you probably have are production type hatchery Reds that have been selectively bred for production.
"Real" R I Reds do everything a chicken should including go broody.

 

[Jenlyn9483]

I read an article this morning on a Poultry magazine site that most heavy and egg production breeds have had the broodiness bred out of them for the most part and backyard chicken breeders or hobbyist that have chickens that are broody should select those for breeding stock. My grandfather has 7 hens and a rooster he has had for 3 years 4 americaunas, 1 astrolorp, 1 RIR and 1 SL Wyndott. Each year he babies them and feeds them all sorts of greens and layer pellets and leaves nest eggs hoping his RIR will sit and none of them ever have. I tried to explain to him that most reds have had most of the broodinest bred out of them and they are not the same as they used to be 'in the old days'. But he doesn't understand these kinds of things.

 

[Knight Hawk Ranch]

Well, I did get these from Ideal so they are probably 'production type' birds. However, I kept all of my hens from this batch and eventually (if these eggs make it to hatching) will keep the hens from this group.

I am sure a couple of the eggs are from the broody hen and the rest are from the other hens since I have a community type nesting system. She is sitting(still, now day 3) on 2 days worth of eggs, around 12 or so are in there. I won't know for sure until I have time to take a peek and mark the eggs.

I also, have 6 pullets that are about 4 weeks old now that came from Ideal. I plan on keeping and gradually upgrading my stock, even if I have to breed selectively.

I chose the best looking Roo from the group and sold the rest.

I will try and get current photos up this weekend and get some 'critiques' on my flock.