what is the best broody????

[snipercp]

i have 2 silkie hens that i plan on using as broodys but people ive spoke to have told me that they use crooses betwen silkies and other breeds but what breeds do you breed them to to get the best results and what are the reasons for the choice of cross.

thanks connor

 

[Chris09]

i have 2 silkie hens that i plan on using as broodys but people ive spoke to have told me that they use crooses betwen silkies and other breeds but what breeds do you breed them to to get the best results and what are the reasons for the choice of cross.

thanks connor

I really never thought of Silkies as being good broody but you could cross them with a Cochin and get a decent brood fowl.

IMO, American Game Fowl are the best brood fowl you"ll ever have.

Chris

 

[snipercp]

what about crossing them with a wyandotte because they are meant to be good mothers and are good layers aswell i have heard someone say that they have crossed the silkie with another breed to get rid of the strange feathering but is there any other reasons of crossing also with the cochins they are alot larger than my birds and may be hard to find also the american game may be hard to come across aswell thanks connor

 

[Illia]

Silkies are indeed commonly known to be very broody, at least, most hatchery strains.


Now for Wyandottes, I don't know if that is a great idea. They should be occasionally broody and good moms, yes, but in hatchery stock that isn't very common at all. If you got show or old strains you might be better off, but as Chris said, the best options are breeds like Gamefowl. Next up come breeds like Araucanas and European strains of various breeds like Sussex, Orpingtons, etc. But I'm assuming you're just working with bantams. So my advice would be Cochins or the like.


If you're from Europe, Wyandottes may be a good idea. But, Cochins still are as well.

 

[snipercp]

i am in england and hopefully soon i should be getting bantam BLRW eggs or chicks that are show stock so when there old enough i could use them also some one in my family has got a old english game but i would not be able to bring him to my pens to breed because ive never heard a bird crow so frequently at 5 oclock in the morn and does it so loud.

 

[Ducks and Banny hens]

Here is a list I wrote up about percentages of broodiness:
100% - Red Junglefowl
95% - Boxwood
90% - Most Barnyard fowl; Bow Lake fowl; Sebright; Phoenix; Landraces
80-85% - Cochin; Pekin; Silkies
75% - Dorking; Wyandotte; Chantecler
70% - Sussex; Faverolle; Barnevelder
60-65% - Plymouth Rock; RIR; NH; Buckeye; Brahma; Langshan; Marans; Welsummer
Minus 50% - Mediteranean breeds

Hope this is helpful!

 

[lclough1998]

I have 2 silkie hens and a roo, and together those 2 birds were broody 6 times last year. I don't know that you want them broodier then that, they lose alot of weight with not eating regularly. I saw a poster had chicks, she put a silkie in with those chicks, the gal pushed the silkie down and the chicks went under her and from then on was a good mom! I know my silkies will hatch anything, mother anything and when they are done, the roo sleeps with the babies and teaches them too! Can't beat a broody silkie for getting the job done at my house. Not one of my full size chickens has gone broody and I have orps, delawares

 

[peepblessed]

I have 2 silkie hens and a roo, and together those 2 birds were broody 6 times last year. I don't know that you want them broodier then that, they lose alot of weight with not eating regularly. I saw a poster had chicks, she put a silkie in with those chicks, the gal pushed the silkie down and the chicks went under her and from then on was a good mom! I know my silkies will hatch anything, mother anything and when they are done, the roo sleeps with the babies and teaches them too! Can't beat a broody silkie for getting the job done at my house. Not one of my full size chickens has gone broody and I have orps, delawares

X2! Expect i had one LF good broody one time. Watching the silkie roo taking care of the chicks is soooo amazing too!