Starting again, but had a surprise

KinderKorner

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Well I started my incubator last night to get it stable. And was going to collect eggs the next three days. Well when I went to collect more eggs today a hen wouldn't get off the nest. It seems I have another broody! haha Everytime I decide to incubate, a hen goes broody. Oh well. Perfect timing. If she is still broody tomorrow and looks dependable, I will just slip my collected eggs under her. And start in a few days myself. Broodies always have better luck than me.
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I am sooo excited to have another broody Brahma. Last year a broody brahma was the most wonderful mother. She would let us touch and move her, and play with her babies. She would take such good care of them. We lost her to racoons after she 3rd batch.
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This year a Buff Orp went broody, she bit and growled everytime you tried to feed her or anything. She never left the nest once. She was cranky and once they hatched she was a terrible mother and always left them behind.

But now a sweet little brahma is nesting again! Hurray! I already looked under her and petted, and fed her. Perfectly friendly, didn't even hiss or snap. Aw how I love my brahmas. Unlike my Buff Orps. Gr. Despite what others say about how great Buffs are, mine are rotton. lol
 
My BO is rotten too. This is her first brood with us, so cannot comment on her mothering abilities. We will probably brood the chicks ourselves anyway ... have not decided yet. But she is an evil thing! She does get off the nest to take care of herself, but she will not let me near the eggs without growling and pecking nonstop. If she is off the nest and sees me checking the eggs she comes running and tries to get in a good peck before she settles on the nest. Then again, my light brahma who is also broody at the moment also pecks, but only 2 or 3 times before she gives up and lets me do whatever I want
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I will take either of them pecking to that EVIL turkey though. She hisses better than a cat. She left an instant bruise through a thick fleece jacket the other morning ... good thing it was a cool morning so I had some protection! She is crazy mean when she is on a nest.
 
Wait a minute now. Ya'll are talking like these broody buff orps are something straight out of the Exorcist or something and I had pretty well decided on getting them to start my docile, tame, gentle, wee-granddaughter-friendly flock. ???????

Ok...somebody needs to come to the rescue of the buff orp's reputation!!!

My luck whatever I decide on will be schizophrenic!!
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Ed
 
LOL! Mine is not that bad, just protective of her nest
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She is perfectly docile when she is not broody.

ETA: Mine is not very tame either, though. We did not raise her and she was not raised as a pet. She was raised with minimal human interaction.
 
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haha Everyone seems to prefer Buff Orps. Says they are quiet and gentle and shy. But mine are the most wild of my flock.

Don't get my wrong, they don't like chase anyone. (as long as they don't have a nest) but you can't go and pet them or get within like 5ft.

My Rhode Island Reds you can pet, my Brahmas are calm and make wonderful mothers. But I just have rotton luck with my Buff Orps. I suppose.

They aren't bad chickens though. A lot of people like them.

But I vote for Brahmas all the way. When it comes to brooding, petting, and biggest egg size.
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Especially if you want to brood chicks and want your granddaughter to be able to hold any or love on them. haha

Maybe it just depends though. I had a sick BO that I put in with my chicks to keep roosters away. And it only attacked them a few times. But it never tried to harm them too bad. So I guess sometimes they are nice and sometimes they are mean. I would say they don't really pick on the chickens too much, but they aren't very human friendly. But not all BO's are like this. I'm sure there are some perfectly nice ones out there too.
 
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