Broodies on the Homestead

[BarredBuff]

My broody Buff Orpington successfully took new eggs, and has not destroyed them. I let her out of her cage to eat, and drink this morning. I left it open and came back in an hour and she had returned. I am hoping she will end up making a good momma.

Still no sign of the turkey hen.

 

[baymule]

My broody Buff Orpington successfully took new eggs, and has not destroyed them. I let her out of her cage to eat, and drink this morning. I left it open and came back in an hour and she had returned. I am hoping she will end up making a good momma.

Still no sign of the turkey hen.

I hope your turkey hen shows up with a brood of chicks behind her!

 

[Mini Horses]

Hate those snakes! Last yr found one taking eggs from a hen 3 days before hatch. Got 3 but will never get another!

Called rat snakes but let me tell you, eggs are their favorite. PLENTY of mice and both I have dispatched were eating eggs.

Have hen & chicks running around and 3 more broody. Gotta get them on some eggs, penned up.

 

[baymule]

Paris usually shakes snakes to pieces. Then she kills each piece again and again. She HATES snakes! Our male GP, Trip is not impressed and does not attack them. This one was so big that she couldn't shake it to death. When we finally took it away, she was exhausted! LOL

 

[milkmansdaughter]

@baymule is Paris the one that was bit by a snake? I could be thinking of someone else?

 

[baymule]

No she has never been snake bit. She sure kills them to pieces though. She hates snakes. Trip our male GP, hasn’t been snake bit and does not have a death wish for them. Parker has been snake bit, and Polly our Aussie that died last summer, had been snake bit before.

 

[Beekissed]

I wish my dogs were death on snakes...especially the black snakes.

Got another 2 broodies, with one more serious than the other. Too bad we just stuffed a ton of eggs in the fridge. Now I'll have to save up some to stick under these two.

I usually never set broodies after the month of May but this year the hatches haven't been all that great, so I'm thinking I'll give these both a clutch and just do late butchering in the fall.

 

[BarredBuff]

I wish my dogs were death on snakes...especially the black snakes.

Got another 2 broodies, with one more serious than the other. Too bad we just stuffed a ton of eggs in the fridge. Now I'll have to save up some to stick under these two.

I usually never set broodies after the month of May but this year the hatches haven't been all that great, so I'm thinking I'll give these both a clutch and just do late butchering in the fall.

I am amazed at how many broody hens you have. Where did you get your stock at? I want more broody hens, but my girls just won't do it.

Of course, the one broody that I have is an idiot. She busted the seventh egg and apparently ate it. She now has six dirty eggs under her behind in the coop. This was her third rodeo. She is on my cull list.

 

[Beekissed]

I am amazed at how many broody hens you have. Where did you get your stock at? I want more broody hens, but my girls just won't do it.

Of course, the one broody that I have is an idiot. She busted the seventh egg and apparently ate it. She now has six dirty eggs under her behind in the coop. This was her third rodeo. She is on my cull list.

These WRs were bred right here on my land, they are my own line of WRs. The BAs were from my sister's flock and she has no idea from whence they came any longer, doesn't remember.

I don't really expect the BAs nor the BA mixes to go broody, but I do expect my WRs to do so at least once per year. The original hen I bred all these from was the only broody out of a group of hatchery WRs I got back in '08. Broody tendencies is a trait I desire in my WRs, as I use them to reproduce their own kind. I also think it's healthier for a chicken to have natural hormone cycles for their lifetime, which is one reason I don't do lights in the winter months.

 

[Mini Horses]

I don't use lights either. My hens have really been broody this year. Each yr I have at least 5 or 6. Some chickens just are NOT bred for being broody. Many strains that used to be had that bred out to satisfy the commercial markets, eggs.

My cross breds seem to be the most productive with this. That just means that ONE of the strains had the tendency. I plan to band those that were good and see what happens next yr. The egg destruction thing, have you penned the setter off? I found one hen did great job setting but at hatch, other hens tried to take the hating egg shells and killed the chicks in the process. Like a shark frenzy! Never again. Mine will be penned off next year.