I have a little Cochin Bantam. She is the best producer! She has laid an egg every day for the past week. I also have mutts & EE's which only produce3 - 5 eggs per week each so far. These birds have been laying for a month or so.
My setup was intended to be:
Small beginners flock for meat & eggs.
One fairly "reliable" broody breed for hatching chicks to raise for more stock.
I tried to persuade my Cochin to brood some eggs indoors. It didn't really work, so I put her back out since the weather has been exceptionally fine here & I thought it would be a shame if she had to miss out.
So, yesterday she insisted on coming indoors to lay. Marched (or shuffled, as cochins do) past myself & DH, the cat & dogs, straight into the living room where she barred everyone from entering until she had laid her egg.
This morning I went & let the birds out. Heard the "ack, ack, ack!" sound from the cochin (a noise she makes when she's demanding something or annoyed.)
Looked out the window & she's just standing in the coop. Not doing anything just standing there. So I went out & watched her. She started up again "ack,ack,ack!" She looked confused.
I showed her an egg in the nest thinking she might want to lay, but she wasn't interested. She wasn't fluffed up or anything, so I just left her. 15 minutes after the others had left, she finally left & has been quiet since.
I hatched a cochin for the their specific reputation of being broody.
Maybe I should invest in a silkie instead. This hen is almost a year old. She is a quality layer, but doesn't seem to have a broody streak.
How long after they start laying does this breed normally go broody?
Maybe I'm expecting too much from her too soon..... poor girl.
My setup was intended to be:
Small beginners flock for meat & eggs.
One fairly "reliable" broody breed for hatching chicks to raise for more stock.
I tried to persuade my Cochin to brood some eggs indoors. It didn't really work, so I put her back out since the weather has been exceptionally fine here & I thought it would be a shame if she had to miss out.
So, yesterday she insisted on coming indoors to lay. Marched (or shuffled, as cochins do) past myself & DH, the cat & dogs, straight into the living room where she barred everyone from entering until she had laid her egg.
This morning I went & let the birds out. Heard the "ack, ack, ack!" sound from the cochin (a noise she makes when she's demanding something or annoyed.)
Looked out the window & she's just standing in the coop. Not doing anything just standing there. So I went out & watched her. She started up again "ack,ack,ack!" She looked confused.
I showed her an egg in the nest thinking she might want to lay, but she wasn't interested. She wasn't fluffed up or anything, so I just left her. 15 minutes after the others had left, she finally left & has been quiet since.
I hatched a cochin for the their specific reputation of being broody.
How long after they start laying does this breed normally go broody?
Maybe I'm expecting too much from her too soon..... poor girl.
