What chicken breeds are most likely to go broody?

[tuesdaylove]

My broodiest girls so far have been a LF buff Orpington and a Rosecomb/Cochin bantam mix. The bantam hen has stayed broody for an entire month at a time, several times.

 

[Hyper_Chicken05]

Pekins (Cochin bantams) go broody all the time I think

 

[varidgerunner]

Because you can find scientific studies with a controlled environment which will show which breeds tend to be broody. Hearsay is not fact, it's just what you noticed.



https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/porta...en(12f1dbf2-6bb5-41fd-a6b7-61a0f9d5a539).html

All I see is a study that shows what chemicals are present in the brain of birds that go broody compared to those that don't. They used a hybrid between the Silkie and the leghorn. The Silkie have a fair percentage of hens going broody often, sometimes too often, sometimes to the point of starving themselves to death on eggs, or rocks, or a few chunks of poop. The Leghorn is a product of careful selective breeding that has resulted in a breed that very very rarely goes broody, and when they do it is usually late in life, (after most commercial birds would have slowed down and been replaced.) This cross resulted in birds that, according to the line of thoughts of the scientists, had some individuals that went broody and some that didn't. In my own lengthy experience spanning decades and having multiple dozens of breeds, I see a pretty obvious outcome, but I know there is more at work.

They studied the chemicals present in those that were broody and those that weren't. A cross between a "broody breed" and a "non broody breed" will result in some birds that won't go broody and some that will. Of the ones that brood, sometimes the chemicals present responsible for that behavior cut off too early, resulting in birds that leave the nest before eggs hatch. Some of them hatch chicks but lose interest in brooding before the chicks are old enough to survive on their own.

The post my response was directed to suggested studying the internet to find out which breeds were broody. I assumed that they meant using the various breed lists and charts that have the same copied and pasted "breed facts" that may or may not be anywhere close to true. These "facts" haven't changed much in the last 30 years, and most are quoted straight from a hatchery catalog. If you followed this information, you would be left to believe that a Silkie or a Cochin Bantam was the "broodiest". These birds might have a fair percentage that are broody, but there are much better performing broody breeds, that have a very long recorded history of being successfully used to hatch eggs. But they aren't PC, so you only see slanted facts about them.

My birds have a near 100% incidence of going broody, multiple times a year in the seasons favoring chick rearing, and successfully rear chicks in free range conditions, defending against and evading predators. They have a very long life span. They carry bad eggs out of the nest, as far away as they can get them. They don't poop in the nest, they come off the nest explosively once a day, cackling to draw predators away from the nest, and feed and water. They have long clean legs that they can skillfully and carefully position themselves over eggs with. They have fairly long necks for turning eggs with no vision obscuring feathers. They have impeccable nest selection skills to avoid depredation and facilitate chick survival once hatched. Everyone I have talked to that raises this breed, and the actual credible historical references indicate that my observations are not anecdotal. A hatchery breed selector passed off as a be all/end all source of breed information, or a relatively unrelated scientific paper is not going to change the facts that I know to be true.

 

[15WildTurkey]

My 7 month old light Brahma has been flirting with broodyness the last couple of days. She stalks whoever is in laying then hops in when they are done. She’s plucked out some breast feathers too

 

[Folly's place]

For me, the problem with having Shamos, or Asils, or Malays, are about cockbird management. I'd love to have a hen or two with these traits, but don't want to deal with having separate coops.
Ordering pullets would work, if possible, but I don't want to order SR.
Mary

 

[varidgerunner]

For me, the problem with having Shamos, or Asils, or Malays, are about cockbird management. I'd love to have a hen or two with these traits, but don't want to deal with having separate coops.
Ordering pullets would work, if possible, but I don't want to order SR.
Mary

I had thought patterns like that at one time. Now I couldn't imagine not having at least a half dozen male oriental gamefowl. They are so personable and enjoyable. You don't have to keep them in coops. Vehicles and houses work fine. The females are fine for raising chicks, but for a companion animal there is no equal to the males. Not saying that the hens are the only ones that will hatch chicks. You don't keep asils, asils keep you.

All of this discussion on supposed breeds that are prone to brooding. Let's see the pictures of the renowned silkie and buff cochin bantam roosters proudly setting atop their eggs and brooding their chicks. How can you even make the claim that you have a broody breed if ONLY the hens go broody?

 

[centrarchid]

Daddy doing this so momma can do.............

.......this on the next clutch.

Another pair. Notice where chicks are.

 

[Folly's place]

Beautiful!
Mary

 

[RustyBucketFarmGirl]

I thought just based on body shape alone that maybe my BO or my Wyandotte’s would.

However my first to go broody was my black austrilorpe, Stormy. And then a few months later Hazel, a partridge penedesenca did. I just thought it was weird because they are more narrow, upright birds. They don’t seem to have as much surface area to cover a nest. And the shorter wider rounder types seemed totally uninterested. Lol. Who knows!

 

[mbailey78]

I have 4 buff orpingtons and they go broody ALOT. They are the only breed I let hatch out eggs since they have been proven good mamas for me.