Broodies on the Homestead

[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.

 

[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.

 

[BarredBuff]

It's likely that egg was not developing, so the hen eliminates it. This also gives her valuable nutrition as she sits. I always put way more eggs in the nest than I expect to hatch, as I know there will be clears that she will eat before it's all said and done. That dirt shouldn't effect the hatch unless you washed your eggs prior to her sitting on them.

I did not know that! Good to know.

However, while on my trip, she had eaten three more eggs and then abandoned the nest. She is on the list to go to the pantry now.

 

[Beekissed]

I did not know that! Good to know.

However, while on my trip, she had eaten three more eggs and then abandoned the nest. She is on the list to go to the pantry now.

Were the shells thin on these eggs? Sometimes when shells are thin and easily broken by a hen getting on and off the nest, she'll eat them to keep the nest site cleaner. It's not real normal for a broody hen to just eat her eggs willy nilly...never seen that happen. Usually they are not developing or were damaged in some way.

 

[sumi]

My son's little game hen is sitting on infertile eggs somewhere… I'm hoping she will show up today, so I can catch and cage her. She's a great mom and broody, but I can't have stray sitters and definitely not on infertile eggs. It's dangerous for her out there and pointless too.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I've had tons of broodies this year - just none very successful. One hen finally hatched ONE baby. But, that one baby is thriving because she is a beast, lol. She scares me more than any mean rooster ever could! One morning when I was out feeding that baby went right between my feet and I thought that mama was gonna kill me!

I've got a broody sitting in the corner of the small barn and another one in a nest box. Not sure if either will be successful... but ya never know.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I’d love to see pics!

 

[sumi]

X2 sounds like wonderful birds! I had hatchery quality RIR some years ago and I loved them. I can imagine the proper ones must be amazing.