What is the best broody and mom

[UBkevy]

I need to start having chickens that hatch out eggs. So i need to find the best, most consistent and easiest to work with broody hen. Soooo what should i get

 

[mljohnson05]

SILKIES by far...make the best mom and Broody hen.....they will try to hatch ANYTHING that resembles and egg...lol

 

[hlf1996]

Quote:
X2 plus they are very gentle and fluffy

 

[spiritdance]

Quote:
x2

 

[Wildflower_VA]

Silkies are supposed to be incredibly broody and good moms, but I don't want to keep bantams, so I just ordered some speckled Sussex, which are supposed to be good broodys and good moms. My plan is to only keep heritage, dual purpose breeds, but they have had the broodiness bred out of them to promote egg-laying, so it has been hard to find a breed for the purpose of raising chickens the natural way.

 

[MandyH]

Cochins are about the best large fowl for broodiness. They are also very calm and gentle.

 

[UBkevy]

i am thinking bantams just because these birds will be in a coup set up to be a nusery and kept just to be moms. There for smaller birds to eat less. how many large eggs can a silkie hatch out? I also need to design the perfect nursery to keep hens broody and with a ton of roosting space for younger birds.

 

[Wildflower_VA]

I read your other post about the perfect nursery, but being a broody is hard on the hen. They go in a trance for quite a while, seldom get off the nest to eat and drink and they can get rather thin. To be kept in a nursery as a non-stop broody and mama hen would soon wear the little hen out. That's a lot to ask of a little silkie, even if she is a willing broody.

 

[UBkevy]

i do not mean non stop broody but reliable and constant. basically i need to count on it to go brood in the early spring and continue until the chicks are grown. I would like them to be able to hatch out 1 or 2 sets of chicks a year. but need to set up a coup that would be the best possible nursery so the chicks would grow under the best possible conditions

 

[HHandbasket]

My American game/EE cross goes broody when the wind blows. She will be a year old in 2 weeks, but she has already hatched out/raised 2 separate clutches of eggs/chicks.