The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: suziequeue on April 25, 2011, 11:23:32 am
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Am planning to start hatching my own eggies.
We have three RIR hens - all hardy and good layers - but they've never gone broody at all (no cockerel around).
So - how does one set about obtaining a broody hen.
Thanks
Susanna
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well my buff orpingtons are good broodies so are my brahmas and silkies if you leave enough eggs in there nest mine always go broody then just swap there eggs for eggs i want hatching at the minuet iv got 1 hen are runner eggs 1 on buff eggs and 1 o goose eggs
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Am planning to start hatching my own eggies.
We have three RIR hens - all hardy and good layers - but they've never gone broody at all (no cockerel around).
So - how does one set about obtaining a broody hen.
Thanks
Susanna
If you have no cockerel how will you have eggs to hatch?
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:wave:
RIR have been bred to be good layers, not good broodies - you will need to get a "broody" type of hen for this purpose (who probably won't be a prolific layer ::) ) Though there are some good dual purpose breeds out there.
If you are going to hatch your own hen's eggs, you will need a cockeral to fertilise them - though he may need more than 3 girls to keep him amused (& them with any feathers ;) ) & a "broody" or an incubator.
You don't need a cockeral about for a hen to go broody - it's a natural thing (unless it's been bred out) for most hens to do.
Try looking in your local farming/smallholding ads or locate breeders online. You may be able to pick-up the occassional "broody" at a poultry/livestock sale - though they usually have chicks with them (be careful - they may not be as they seem)
& may not go broody again this season.
Good luck :hshoe:
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I have a Cream Legbar who is very broody :) my other hen is a Cream Legbar x Rhode Island and she is doing a bit of sitting, but her heart isnt really in it & she is still laying so I havent given her any eggs yet. But the Legbar is happy happy sat on her nest with corn and drinkies close at hand :love:
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I have a Cream Legbar who is very broody :) my other hen is a Cream Legbar x Rhode Island and she is doing a bit of sitting, but her heart isnt really in it & she is still laying so I havent given her any eggs yet. But the Legbar is happy happy sat on her nest with corn and drinkies close at hand :love:
Sounds like the maternity wing is all set to go ;) ;D
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I have cochins and they are one of the best broodies that I have ever had ;D
They have only got to see a nest of eggs and it starts them off LOL. They are pretty good layers too and as they are big fluffy birds they can cover a good number of eggs and are fabulous mums too ;)
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So - Plan B (which is rapidly looking to become Plan A) is to get a Buff Orpington hen, get her broody by leaving a few unfertilised eggs in the boxes, buy some eggs off the internet and then substitute the ones she's sitting on for the internet ones.
Is that right?
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Roughly - though some other breeds can be good broodies - Silkies etc.
Could you borrow a broody from someone you know if you don't want to keep the breed? Also, try & find someone localish to get the fertilised eggs from - internet search, local farmers/smallholding paper/magazine feed suppliers sometimes display adds or know somebody too - safer if you can collect them yourself (couriers not always very careful ??? ) & you'll meet some new contacts into the bargain ;D
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LOL
I've found somebody on eBay in Orckney :D :D :D
I'll ask around. We've got two neighbours who have chickens..... but I do like the look of the Buff Orpington.
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Hi,
Buff-O's are lovely big fluffy bottomed lumps but if you dont want to keep a large breed like this just for hatching chicks then light sussex are excellent broodies. I have abantam LS and she hatches constantly right through the year. Be warned though..., the down side of a good broody is that all she ever does is squalk noisily for a round two to 3 weeks while she lays her clutch and then goes broody until she gets given some eggs, incubates them for 3 weeks, broods the chicks for 8 weeks and then starts all over again ::).
Thats great for me as I have a couple of cockerels and so there is always a ready supply of beautiful Croad eggs for me to pop under her. But if you only want to hatch one brood in a year then a serial broody will become a bit of a pain.
How about borrowing \ buying an incubator instead?
Buffy
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Yes - the incubator is plan A but I so much like the idea of a live broody hen looking after the eggs and chicks.
But - as you say Buffy - it might be impractical for the occasional clutch which - realistically - is probably all we're going to do at the moment.
Mmmmm
Will have to keep pondering this.
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Another thought to consider is that the hen you buy may not go broody at all. I've had buff, blue and jubilee orps, speckled and light sussex, cream legbars and rhode Island reds, and none of them have ever gone broody >:(
Also, as happened to a friend who was given a broody, not all broodies make good mums. Hers is very determined to sit but eats the eggs and/or the chicks or kicks them out the nest. She very rarely brings up any chicks to a decent size and yet wants to sit all the time! ::)
I've heard silkies and wyandottes make good broodies.
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Where abouts are you? I'm was just doing a search to see if I could find anyone wanting a broody hen and your post came up. :) I'm in abderdeenshire and have run out of space for broodys, got another just gone broody this weekend. They are mongrels who are very broody and very good mothers. They were my first chickens and have raised all my others (now nearing 50) and more besides. Looking to swap some for something that someone else has too many of. :)
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Our book said that RIRs aren't very good at going broody but in fact 3 hens I bought at auction (a knee-jerk bid and the hens looked old and rough to say the least) turned out to be brilliant robust hens, great layers and fantastic broodies - perhaps if you create a nice hay (rather than straw) lined box (like a plywood box veg would come in) and posey it somewhere high-ish with a bit of board proped up (so its like a monopitch roof) - a good hiding place in other words it may just do the trick. Rhodies are such lovely hens. If you're getting eggs from ebay then Cream Legbars are good - rare breeds and autosexing as chicks (so at least you know how many cockerels you are getting!). One of the RIRs was a bit clumsy underfoot though now I think of it and squashed one of her chicks....hmmm......nothings ever simple is it, good luck.