What is the Best brooding Chicken Breed?

[Junkmanme]

Mrs. K :

I think they do better if two do it at a time. My Buff Op girls were dynamite, remove your arm off at the elbow fiesty if you wanted to look in their nest. I saw one hen, one time off the nest, otherwise they were as tight as ticks. And I peaked often.

Really after doing chicks with a broody, I don't think I will ever go back. That is fun, and very little work! mk

Yep. My experience also....with one broody at a time. DEFINITELY QUEEN of the Nest !!! and just as protective of the chicks. I think that she enjoyed giving them "horse-back rides". Ha-Ha !!! Very entertaining.

-Junkmanme-

 

[Junkmanme]

Quote:
I think that is essentially true. However SOME breeds are possibly more "predisposed" to broodiness.

Chickens, like all us animals, have differing personalities amongst breeds.

Andres, maybe you should try the plastic egg idea. Can't hurt anything to check it out.

-Junkmanme-

 

[texascowboy1979]

Quote:
I think that is essentially true. However SOME breeds are possibly more "predisposed" to broodiness.

Chickens, like all us animals, have differing personalities amongst breeds.

Andres, maybe you should try the plastic egg idea. Can't hurt anything to check it out.

-Junkmanme-

Well, Ive been using the wooden egg. They Chickens lay where I want them to ok, but getting them to brood the nest... thats another story.

 

[Junkmanme]

Yo entiendo, Compadre.

 

[sben451]

I have Silkies, Welsummers, Buff Orpingtons, EE's, and more mixed hens. Only the Silkies have gone broody. They are broody a lot and will sit on any eggs. My Silkie hens have made good mothers, too.

 

[abhaya]

silkies are my broody of choice for a large bird I would go with the buff orpington

 

[sourland]

Games, silkies, cochin (bantams), buff orpingtons-pretty much in that order. Buffs are last in my experience because of their size and the possibility that they could inadvertantly break bantam eggs.

 

[cwalsh2]

I raised thousands of game chickens under game hens. The problem with games is that they are very intelligent and all individuals. You can never slip in a late hatched chick under them. They will kill it. I tried hatching ringneck pheasants under one of mine and as soon as they hatched she looked them over and killed them. If another hens chick gets close to them they peck at it and that starts a terrible fight between 2 hens. The problem with games (fighting chickens) is that these breeds were developed solely for fighting, and the hens fight too! Columbian wyandots,speckled sussex,brahmas, cochins,dominiques, all go broody and have a calmer disposition than game chickens. They need a clutch of eggs left in the nest to encourage them to sett, though.

 

[Smiles-N-Sunshine]

Well, I guess it really has nothing to do with the breed... it mostly depends on the chicken itself...

I've noticed with our Australorps that the 2-3 year olds go broody more often than the younger hens.

 

[fatty chook]

well i think bantams are one of the best brooders i have silver laced wyandottes and i am using the bantams as clucky chooks