The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[oldhenlikesdogs]

None of my hatchery buff Orpingtons has ever gone broody. I did have one from a breeder who was constantly broody.

This year I am trying some heritage Orpingtons hatching eggs from MPC and am excited to see how they go, they will probably go broody.

I adore my buff Orpingtons, I find them to be the best of the large fowl breeds personally. I actually don't like my large breeds to go broody as to me it's a pain to have to break them constantly, and of course egg production suffers.

I keep a separate flock of bantams who do all my hatching for me. Most I pull after hatch. I do allow a hen or two to raise chicks if there's room in the flock. This year in going to do the old switcheroo, taking my turkey poults and Orpington chicks as they hatch and slipping one of them my 4 bantam mottled cochins I have ordered. It worked well last year, and if one hen doesn't want them I will try the next and the next until I get a taker.

Sorry, I guess it turned into a story.

 

[Leahs Mom]

A good and helpful story! Thanks

 

[NysiaAnera]

Our BO are all hatchery (well, all but 1) and they are wonderful! They are my favorite breed, and are known for broodiness, which is why we got them. We wanted hens that would brood and raise a lot of chicks. We have had several broodies, and they are the BEST mommas! The only one we have that is not from a hatchery, our original, Buffy, is the best momma in our whole flock. We got her and 3 other hens and 1 rooster from Duke's nephew, who hatched them. I don't know where he got the eggs, but they were all big, beautiful birds, and she is prettier than all the others we got later. All are super friendly as well.

 

[Phoenixxx]

I posted this on my state thread but thought I'd post here too since a lot of you have experience with many different breeds.


@Jntnrmn
and I had a little discussion regarding hatchery purchased Buff Orpingtons but I haven't had any so wondered if anyone here has and your comments.

Would the Buffs tend to be a broody breed?  In this case that would be desirable  

Also any comment on your experience with them in your flocks in general.






@oldhenlikesdogs

I had a male and female bo/brahma cross. They instantly made themselves the flock leaders and the male was the only rooster i had that would dare stand between my dog and a hen! Very ballsy and domineering but nice with people I have been told that those traits came from the orpington side and not the brahma side; i would not put them in with bantams or smaller breeds like ameraucanas. As for broodiness, Henrietta never got the urge even though both (breeds) are supposed to be motherly.

 

[Molpet]

I posted this on my state thread but thought I'd post here too since a lot of you have experience with many different breeds.


@Jntnrmn and I had a little discussion regarding hatchery purchased Buff Orpingtons but I haven't had any so wondered if anyone here has and your comments.

Would the Buffs tend to be a broody breed? In this case that would be desirable

Also any comment on your experience with them in your flocks in general.

@oldhenlikesdogs

so far mine hasn't gone broody.. one will be 2 in May ( a BJG went broody in aug same age/hatchery).. two will be 1 in april (a BR from the same age/hatchery went broody in Oct)

eta .. they are the lowest of the pecking order and tend to stay by themselves.. I am think about getting rid of them if the don't go broody this spring... also the worst layers I have next to the CX hen

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

so far  mine hasn't gone broody.. one will be 2 in May ( a BJG went broody in aug same age/hatchery).. two will be 1 in april (a BR from the same age/hatchery went broody in Oct)

eta .. they are the lowest of the pecking order and tend to stay by themselves.. I am think about getting rid of them if the don't go broody this spring... also the worst layers I have next to the CX hen

This is exactly why source and breeding is more important than the actual breed, as every line is different. I find production to fairly decent, and that they lay later in their lives. My top hens are Orpingtons because they are the oldest.

 

[JanetMarie]

My first broody mom. She's from a large hatchery. I no longer get hatchery chicks. If getting buff Orpingtons again, I would like to get more of the English type from a breeder, but the problem would be that I would not be able to butcher the extra roosters.

 

[JanetMarie]

This is more of an English type (the rooster) that I had gotten as a hatching egg from a small hatchery who cares about the quality of their birds. He was a very special pet.

I have his grandson now, who is a very good boy with his small flock of four hens.

 

[Leahs Mom]

This is more of an English type (the rooster) that I had gotten as a hatching egg from a small hatchery who cares about the quality of their birds. He was a very special pet.

I have his grandson now, who is a very good boy with his small flock of four hens.

@JanetMarie
Question for you on the English type. Do they have the same reputation for being broody? Where did you get your hatching eggs for the English type buffs?



It sounds like there is a lot of variation on experience with broodiness with Buffs from the hatchery vs breeder.....

@Jntnrmn

 

[Leahs Mom]

Our BO are all hatchery (well, all but 1) and they are wonderful! They are my favorite breed, and are known for broodiness, which is why we got them. We wanted hens that would brood and raise a lot of chicks. We have had several broodies, and they are the BEST mommas! The only one we have that is not from a hatchery, our original, Buffy, is the best momma in our whole flock. We got her and 3 other hens and 1 rooster from Duke's nephew, who hatched them. I don't know where he got the eggs, but they were all big, beautiful birds, and she is prettier than all the others we got later. All are super friendly as well.

@NysiaAnera So your hatchery girls are broody as well as the one not from hatchery... @oldhenlikesdogs hatchery girls are not broody.

So it sounds like it IS possible for hatchery lines to be broody but possible not too!