Ugh...Anyone want a broody?

[Erin~TheChickenLover]

I am on the watch for a broody hen! To bad your so far away!

 

[chicknmania]

Killing them after they stop for the winter? Wow, that's.....,pretty cold. Anyone who would do that should just stick with an
incubator.

If you don't want broodies, get Golden Comets or White leghorns. . Most of our standard size hens do not go broody and we have a lot of different breeds, although two of our Delaware hens have gone broody in past years; not every year though. We've only had one Golden Comet go broody in all the years we've had chickens.

 

[RSFChicks]

It definitely depends on the breed. I have Silkies and I swear they go broody on a drop of a dime...they see an egg and they are broody. However I have purchased chickens from hatcherys that have never to this day (6yrs later) gone broody once, they are laying machines. I think the hatcheries have bred lines to try to breed the broodiness out of them and have succeded with a lot of breeds. My Blue Lace Red Wyandottes will go broody, one at first and then after about a week they all pile on the eggs and go broody. The great thing with them is that they start laying within a week after me taking the eggs away so it isnt always bad, however I have heard of chickens that are perpetually broody...cheaper than an incubator!!!

www.facebook.com/ranchosantafechicks

 

[Kaitie09]

I didn't know if people would kill her because she does not lay anymore and only goes broody in the spring and summer. She is one of 4 mutts, and they are the only ones that ever go broody. Her sister was sitting on almost 18 eggs so this morning I went and separated them so they each have 9. It has been freakishly hot here so they may all be fertilized even if they were not totally sat on. None of my pures have ever gone broody, but they were all from hatcheries too. I may just end up keeping her as she is old anyways.

 

[Wildflower_VA]

Quote:
Since she is old and has been a good hen up to this point, I think I would consider her "retired" and give her some wooden eggs to sit on. She probably doesn't eat much, especially when she spends most of her time on the nest in a broody trance.

 

[Kaitie09]

She actually is really good about getting off the eggs. Her sister on the other hand, this is her first time and I have to put a bucket on her head to pick her up. I also put a little bowl of food and water in both of their nesting boxes to they do not have to get up to eat and drink. I'm refilling them a couple times a day so I know they are eating it.

 

[Happy Chooks]

at picturing you putting a bucket over her head. Take some eggs from the mean broody and give them to the nice broody. Then they can raise babies together too.

 

[Kaitie09]

I did that the new broody had been broody for almost 2 weeks, but she was sitting on 17 eggs. No other hen could even get near her without her attacking them, so I know they were all layed around the same time. I separated that into two groups and gave my (continuous) broody half. they should all hatch pretty soon.

Neither of them have names so I just call them both broody when I am talking about them to people.

I might candle them tomorrow night and take out the bad ones so that they have less to sit on.