Want Broody hens that do well in confinement...

[Cloverleaf Farm]

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Oh, probably...I might let her hatch some of me EEs now! LOL

 

[TimG]

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Well, my EE has survived two Maine winters in an unheated coop. She's the type that would prefer to roost in the rafters than on the designated roost (which is why I said she was less tolerant of confinement). There are plenty of EE in New England. Nothing I have said should keep you from adding one or two to your flock for the novelty of colored eggs -- remember that even if you are breeding, you don't have to hatch all the eggs you collect. And, the EE eggs are easy enough to tell apart from the others so you can easily control whether those are the eggs that get hatched.

If you're looking for dark eggs, you might look into the Welsumer. They are supposed to be cold hardy, bare confinement, and lay dark brown eggs.

 

[aclee]

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Well, my EE has survived two Maine winters in an unheated coop. She's the type that would prefer to roost in the rafters than on the designated roost (which is why I said she was less tolerant of confinement). There are plenty of EE in New England. Nothing I have said should keep you from adding one or two to your flock for the novelty of colored eggs -- remember that even if you are breeding, you don't have to hatch all the eggs you collect. And, the EE eggs are easy enough to tell apart from the others so you can easily control whether those are the eggs that get hatched.

If you're looking for dark eggs, you might look into the Welsumer. They are supposed to be cold hardy, bare confinement, and lay dark brown eggs.

Are Welsumer roo's good for the freezer? I don't want to have to raise the roo's too long in order to get a bird that can go in the freezer for a small family meal (2 adults, and 2 kiddos)

 

[karen71]

I say SILKIES mine always go broody no matter what !!!!!!
I had my little MS Silkie go broody she sat on golf balls after being moved then sat on Delaware Blue Hen eggs and hatched them and raised them she was the best

Lost her to a hawl this year
my other silkie Angel has gone broody on the dead of winter - I did not give her anything to sit on as it was too cold - but of she goes in the spring I'll think about it

Don't think I'll need anymore chickens but then again can never have too much

 

[nsanywhere]

Yup, another vote for silkies! I got mine from a hatchery and they do a beautiful job - chickens, duck eggs, turkey, and even a peacock hatched thanks to her efforts. I live in northeast PA where we get lots of cold and snow. Silkies are a great breed!

 

[TimG]

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Welsumers are considered a dual purpose breed, but I don't know about the eating qualities.

 

[rarebreedeggs4u]

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Welsumers are considered a dual purpose breed, but I don't know about the eating qualities.

I'd say a Welsummer roo would need about 5 plus months to go to decent table size. Mine are 6 months old and have just exploded into big, gorgeous guys in the last month.

As far as broodies, go for larger Silkies or Cochins in my opinion. I have 3 of 5 Silkies that are broody right now. My one standard Partridge Cochin hen sat like glue through temps of *0* degrees in early January. I stole the eggs just before hatch and put them in the incubator, but she did a great job.

 

[haTHOR]

laura, which silkies are larger? i want to run a good broody with my flock but don't want her to be mauled by the java roo or the other bigger girls. you don't happen to have any extras do you?

 

[aclee]

Yeah, I;m really leaning toward Silkies, but I would love to find some "larger" ones...how do I go about that?

I still don't know what I'm going to have the silkie set on...maybe EE eggs, maybe some Buff Orphs...not sure...