What breed makes the best mother?

[hoog]

What breed makes the best mother?

I am planning on letting the chickens raise a few clutches into adulthood (none of that incubator stuff for me) and I was hoping to get a couple of really good mother hens. I want a breed that is most likely going to be a great all around mother from brooding, to hatching, to leading them around the yard, including hatching and raising eggs from other hens.

So what breed would be most likely to meet that criteria?

 

[Judy]

Here's a good article on this:

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Broody-Hens-1.html

Probably most commonly used are OEGB and silkies.

But you can get a few good broodies from several other breeds, esp. if you can buy from good breeders rather than hatcheries. Henderson's breed chart tells a lot about each breed, including the likelihood of their going broody. If you're not familiar with it, it is great:

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

 

[SilverStar]

I have Heard that Cochin's are the absolute best when it comes to that!
They are very Broody, Good mother to their young, Good forster mother to other young, and reasonable egg layers. Right now i have a Cochin Rooster who i just love!

I want to get some hens in the near future.They are a very friendly breed.

 

[Judy]

BTW, my Kraienkoppe is now sitting on 10 hatching eggs I mail ordered, as I don't have a mature roo at the moment. But I want to do the same thing you do. They don't usually care whose eggs they set. People even cross species, like hatch ducks under chickens, etc. My Kraienkoppe came from Ideal; evidently this breed is heavily broody. I had 3 hens last year. One of them hatched out a chick, then was taken. The others then took over raising the chick. They also helped her sit on the eggs. And she is the friendliest and most docile of all my breeds.

I've never had a cochin; don't care for the feathered legs. To each his own!

 

[RubberChickenLubber]

I have one cochin and 4 australorps, among other breeds. I have 2 australorps that go broody every year, and my cochin has yet to go broody. Granted, she's just over a year old. So (with the exception of a silkie...lol) I don't think there is one breed that can be guaranteed to go broody. My australorps have been excellent mommies so far, and last year a pair of hens raised a clutch together. It was tooo cute watching the chicks run between the 2 hens. Again, though, not all australorps will go broody.

 

[Judy]

I have Australorps but can't really help; only one is mature, and she does not go broody. The others are 14 weeks; we will see. But I did choose all my breeds (except the leghorns) in the hope that at least some would go broody.

 

[RW19290]

Quote:
Whats a OEGB

 

[Judy]

Old English Game. It's in that modern homestead article.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

In general, mixed breeds are better than purebreds at broodying--both setting and raising babies.

With all breeds, including the mixes, there are exceptions. I no longer let my partridge silkie hens raise babies because one of them kills the babies as they hatch--after having been broody on the eggs for at least 3 weeks (sometimes longer and I would keep taking the eggs and finally let her brood).

Right now I have a bantam brahma who is raising 15 chicks--she only hatched a couple, but I kept adding to her clutch with incubator babies--some even a full week old already.

I have another hen (silkieXd'ucclexaraucana) who raises her babies until THEY are ready to let her go (3 or 4 months at least!).

 

[hoog]

Thanks for the information. According to the sites and what you guys advised it looks like the top three in order are:

Orpington
Cochin
Australorp


http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Broody-Hens-1.html

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html