[Womble]

It's that time of year again - more broodies than I can shake a stick at. However, a couple of them had probably been sitting for a few days by the time I found them, and I can't bring myself to move them and hence kill the eggs (I know, I'm too soft!  ).

However, the hens themselves, though great layers and really hardy birds, are themselves a mixture of all kinds of genetics, and have been running with our two cockerels - one RIR and one barred plymouth rock.

The question is, since I already have too many birds here, should I:

a) Stop them from sitting
b) Let them hatch the chicks, then sell the girls at POL (would anybody buy such a mixed bag hen?)
c) Let them hatch and then cull some of the older birds to make way for the new ones (I don't mind funny genetics as long as they're healthy and lay well. After all, I'm hardly a pure breed myself!  )

I suppose longer term, I need to develop a strategy for breeding (or not!), but in the meantime, this is just the situation I'm in.  Any opinions folks?

Womble.

[Brijjy]

If you have too many birds then I would stop them from sitting and take the eggs away now. I know cos I've been in the same situation. As soon as they hatched I didn't want to get rid of any of the critters. And they were a mixed bunch too. One was pre-historic chicken, it looked like a pterodactyl! Getting rid of eggs is far easier than getting rid of unwanted chicks. But this is just my opinion 

[suziequeue]

What do you want to do Womble?

Eggs?
Meat?
Breeding?

Whichever way you decide will determine what you do. E.g if it's just eggs you want then you don't really need the cockerels. If it's breeding then you will need some sort of segregation to ensure you don't get a dolly mixture. If it's meat then........ the noisy cockerels go first!