chickens for brooding

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chickens for brooding
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Nicky cigreen

Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9970
Location: Devon, uk

Posted: Tue Feb 05, 13 4:12 pm Post subject: chickens for brooding
my blue marans don't seem inclined to go broody much - which is a good thing, but I would like a couple of girls to raise chicks for me - what's the best breed to go for? silkies? aren't they a bit small? is there a particular flavour silkie or doesn't it matter? any thoughts on the above?

Bungo

Joined: 21 Dec 2011
Posts: 354
Location: Wye Valley

Posted: Tue Feb 05, 13 4:21 pm Post subject:
Indian game seem a pretty broody lot , I have one at the moment gone broody.

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Tue Feb 05, 13 4:34 pm Post subject:
A silkie cross takes some beating. Crossed with a Light Sussex or a large game hen, the resulting cross is bigger, retains the broodiness trait and tends to lose the feathery legs. Ideal.

Nicky cigreen

Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9970
Location: Devon, uk

Posted: Tue Feb 05, 13 9:25 pm Post subject:
hmm yes a silkie cross makes sense - thanks

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 13 7:16 am Post subject:
Another vote here for Indian Game. Excellent mothers. We have a couple of Hamburg Bantams - again, excellent mothers. The one who hatched 8 guinea fowl is still running round with them as Leader of the Pack even though she is half their size.

SandraR

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 2346
Location: Devon

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 13 8:22 am Post subject:
Indian Game fan here too or a Game cross. In November one of my Game covered 19 eggs hatched and reared 17...you can't ask much better than that. My Speckled Sussex are also very reliable.

Nicky cigreen

Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9970
Location: Devon, uk

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 13 8:48 am Post subject:
maybe I should give IG another go - the only one I reared before was tiny

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 13 9:11 am Post subject:
Ours were on the big side. We had the most fabulous IG cockerel called Boris. His crow was a bit odd (it reminded me of a boy whose voice had not completely broken). Poor thing, he did try ever so hard to crow properly.

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35935
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 13 9:14 am Post subject:
Another vote for silkie-Sussex here. If you put a lf gold silkie cock over a Sussex hen, you get sex-linked 'gold top' hens. I keep setting myself up to try it and then getting side-tracked.

Woodburner

Joined: 28 Apr 2006
Posts: 2904
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 13 9:19 am Post subject:
silkie x goldtop also sit like it's a competition, especially the smooth feathered ones. Better than the goldtops imho, although I haven't actually used them, the goldtops didn't go broody until they were over a year old, and even then they looked like they weren't sure if they were doing the right thing.

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 13 1:02 pm Post subject:
Some big IG can be quite clumsy with the eggs and chicks.

Nicky cigreen

Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9970
Location: Devon, uk

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 13 1:05 pm Post subject:
just remember the broody i use atm is IG/Ixworth i think

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 13 1:20 pm Post subject:
Thats a big beggar then, lets hope that she has dancing feet.

Nicky cigreen

Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9970
Location: Devon, uk

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 13 1:22 pm Post subject:
she's been ace - mostly we foster chicks onto her though. She is really mean and protective! - but she is knocking on. I need broody futures. I have a plan...

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 13 1:28 pm Post subject:
Its only in the last few years that I've started to use incubators. Prior to that its always been broodies. If I had some really precious eggs and I'd got a tried and tested broody handy, then it would be a broody every time.

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