Why can a broody......

[Glwyandotte]

You're not intruding! Thanks for putting in your two cents. I've thought about Silkies, too, but I don't know how they do in 100+F degree heat.

They do fine. I live in south Gerorgia. It gets to 100 here in the summer.

 

[cmom]

Ah, poop. I'll have to email McMurray about putting the Light Brahma in the broody category. They were the only ones available at the time, however. Can Buff Orpingtons go broody easily?

Years ago I raised Buff Orpingtons for our local 4H kids to raise. Mine didn't lay all that well and weren't all that broody. My Rhode Island Whites can be quite broody. I use an incubator. I normally incubate late winter/early spring. I usually hatch out 200/300 chicks each year knowing around half of the chicks will be males. I do grow out all of the chicks. I keep most of the females and what I don't use as breeders and they go into my general population coops and pens. I keep a few of the best males as future breeders and sell the rest at our local farm swap. It helps to offset the cost of the feed. I use around a half ton of feed monthly. Good luck and have fun...

 

[cmom]

As previously posted, Silkies are more prone to be broody.

 

[Chickie friend]

You're not intruding! Thanks for putting in your two cents. I've thought about Silkies, too, but I don't know how they do in 100+F degree heat.

I have silkies in texas heat and they do ok but they are constantly panting

 

[cmom]

I live in Florida and have friends who raise Silkies. In 100+F degrees most birds are going to pant. I have sprinklers in some of my pens that I put on, on really hot days. Also all of the pens have shade trees and shade/rain tables to get under. In years past before I planted the trees, I would put pans of cool water in the pens and the birds would stand in them.

 

[Mimi13]

Take day old chicks out and terrorize the world. They eat grass, bugs, watermelon, kitchen scraps, chuck starter, and everything else they can shove in their gluttonous little beaks. Their crops are distended all day because they are full till behind their necks...... and there aren’t any digestive issues. No impacted crops, no pasty butt....

How do we as chicken tenders replicate this in the brooder? Jerk them outside and set them partly on a gravel driveway, partly on the lawn.... have a warm spot to dive under every fifteen minutes and randomly toss them a few feet to replicate being in the wrong spot when momma scratches for them? Then take them inside so it’s not drafty for the night hours?

Im truly trying to figure out why broody’s chicks, adopted or hatched, don’t have the issues a strict brooder batch does.

Now back to the OP — I know exactly what you mean. Invariably, every single batch of hatchery chicks I’ve gotten had a couple that battled pasty butt. Not one broody raised chick I’ve had suffered with a pasty butt. Not ONE!

I love to sit up in the run and watch my broodies bring the chicks off the nest. As soon as her feet hit the ground, it’s game on for the newly hatched babies! They find themselves constantly being hammered with flying dirt and shavings and bark pieces and little rocks and even the ever-scratching feet of an activity deprived broody! They squeal (or whatever sound a little chick makes when getting hurt) and run away, only to run right back for more at the next “Tuk-Tul-Tuk” from the broody. BYW, after all my observations of my broodies with their chicks, I have pretty much perfected the very distinctive Tuk-Tuk-Tuk all broodies use to call their chicks over for the “good eats” they find for their babies. It has a very harsh tone and inflection, but my bator babies respond to it just like the broodies’ chicks. It’s quite amazing.

I use a heat plate in my brooder (I cant say enough good about them). I no longer subscribe to the much used 95-90-85-80... degrees to use for chicks in a brooder. Mine spend most of their time during the day out from under the heat. And this is in a house that stays between temps of 68 winter/71 summer.

I also sift through the “stuff” in my chicken run to retrieve a dirt/sand mixture for the chicks. Initially I don’t let the little chicks have access to anything “extra” until I’m positive they know what real food is though. But it doesn’t take them long. Also, I do not use medicated feed. My newly hatched chicks eat the same feed as the rest of my mixed flock, an All Flock feed. I do have Corid on hand just in case. I’ve used it once, in the beginning, because I wasn’t sure. Better safe than sorry!

There was one last thing I wanted to mention, but CRS has just hit. I might or might remember, but if I do I’ll post it later.

ETA: I just remembered! My bator chicks seem to grow bigger, faster than the broody chicks. I can only think it’s because they fill themselves with mostly a balanced feed versus all the “extras” a broody chick consumes.

 

[50-45-1]

Augh, I knew I should've gotten a cochin, and now I have too many to even consider getting more.

im confused
if your coop is full, how is it you wany broody hens for more chicks?
Half of those chicks will be roosters BTW.

 

[Chickassan]

Faverolles go broody alot, out of my bunch only two haven't.
They are serious though and need a decent amount of their own space to brood for everyone around them to have any peace.

 

[MarkJr]

Now back to the OP — I know exactly what you mean. Invariably, every single batch of hatchery chicks I’ve gotten had a couple that battled pasty butt. Not one broody raised chick I’ve had suffered with a pasty butt. Not ONE!

I love to sit up in the run and watch my broodies bring the chicks off the nest. As soon as her feet hit the ground, it’s game on for the newly hatched babies! They find themselves constantly being hammered with flying dirt and shavings and bark pieces and little rocks and even the ever-scratching feet of an activity deprived broody! They squeal (or whatever sound a little chick makes when getting hurt) and run away, only to run right back for more at the next “Tuk-Tul-Tuk” from the broody. BYW, after all my observations of my broodies with their chicks, I have pretty much perfected the very distinctive Tuk-Tuk-Tuk all broodies use to call their chicks over for the “good eats” they find for their babies. It has a very harsh tone and inflection, but my bator babies respond to it just like the broodies’ chicks. It’s quite amazing.

I use a heat plate in my brooder (I cant say enough good about them). I no longer subscribe to the much used 95-90-85-80... degrees to use for chicks in a brooder. Mine spend most of their time during the day out from under the heat. And this is in a house that stays between temps of 68 winter/71 summer.

I also sift through the “stuff” in my chicken run to retrieve a dirt/sand mixture for the chicks. Initially I don’t let the little chicks have access to anything “extra” until I’m positive they know what real food is though. But it doesn’t take them long. Also, I do not use medicated feed. My newly hatched chicks eat the same feed as the rest of my mixed flock, an All Flock feed. I do have Corid on hand just in case. I’ve used it once, in the beginning, because I wasn’t sure. Better safe than sorry!

There was one last thing I wanted to mention, but CRS has just hit. I might or might remember, but if I do I’ll post it later.

ETA: I just remembered! My bator chicks seem to grow bigger, faster than the broody chicks. I can only think it’s because they fill themselves with mostly a balanced feed versus all the “extras” a broody chick consumes.

I have noticed her last batch of chicks are smaller. They also free range and only hit the feeder maybe once during the day (as they come in for water) and again right before roosting time to fill the tank up before bed.

I shoved 12 under her this time. Figured I’d see a couple losses. But so far my 16 lb house cat has given her a wide path (she kicked his butt pretty severely last batch)

I don’t know how many she could handle at once. I’m thinking she’s at her upper limits right now.

 

[3KillerBs]

Invariably, every single batch of hatchery chicks I’ve gotten had a couple that battled pasty butt. Not one broody raised chick I’ve had suffered with a pasty butt. Not ONE!

I wonder, do hens groom their chicks? Are they possibly preening away any mess before pasty butt could build up?