The best chicken breeds make the best broody hens.
A broody hen is annoying for the average backyard chicken keeper.If you want a sustainable chicken flock, you need some of the best broody hen breeds.
You don't need to buy chicks from your local store if you own a broody hen.That means that you don't need to buy an incubator or care for chicks in your home.
Not all breeds are meant to be broody hens.For many chicken owners, broodiness is an undesirable trait and this trait was bred out from many hen breeds.To have a self-sufficient chicken flock, you have to pick one of the best broody hen breeds.
A broody hen has the maternal instinct to want to hatch a clutch of eggs.For the next few months, your hen wants to be a mother.
She wants to sit and hatch a clutch of eggs then raise her new family until they are old enough to survive on their own.
Pick the best broody hen breeds and you will always have a hen or two ready to hatch your newest chickens.
Modern chicken breeds have had broodiness bred out of their lines because it was seen as a bad trait.Stable egg production is a must for most farms.
When a hen goes broody, she is out of production for a long time, and it takes her 21 days to hatch her eggs.It takes several weeks for a broody hen to be out of egg-laying commission.
For large farms, broodiness decreases the number of eggs a hen lays during the course of a year, and that doesn't make sense.
broodiness is a great trait for homesteaders and I wrote about why you need a broody hen before.
To be able to replace our chickens that die or stop laying is our goal as homesteaders.
Broodiness gives you the chance to have a flock that is self-sufficient, providing your family with all the eggs and meat they need.You have to order from hatcheries if you don't have one.
Adding a few of the best broody hen breeds will allow mom hens to protect their young.They keep them warm.defend them from other flock members and teach them to find food.
Each year, broodiness happens.A hen can go broody as early as five to eight months, but most wait until the spring.
If you buy your chick in the spring, it is possible that they will not go broody until the fall.
Some breeds are more likely to produce broody hens.As broodiness becomes more of a desired trait, homesteaders and chicken owners focus on encouraging this trait in these breeds.
A cold and heat hardy breed, the boras are known for being decent layers.The hens go broody and make great mothers.One of the first breeds of chickens I owned was the jayas.Their personality is calm and even-tempered.
One thing to consider is that the Brahmas have feathers on their legs.You might not want to keep them in muddy areas.They can get frost on their toes.
The size of the Brahmas makes them less active than other breeds who want to eat all day.They work for people who can't free-range their chickens.
We have tried several broody hen breeds, one of which is the Sussex hens.Chickens that lay eggs and go broody are called sussex.They make wonderful mothers.
If you want a hen that lays a lot of eggs and raises her kids well, Sussex is the hen for you.
Do you live in a region that has very cold temperatures?Chantecler is an extreme-cold hardy breed that goes broody at least once a year.
The chantecler hen is a dual-purpose breed.You can raise them for both egg and meat production.They are free-ranging and self-sufficient.
Cochins are not known for being great egg producers.They are better as broody hens than a bunch of eggs.These are my picks for the best broody hen breeds.
Cochins are a breed of chickens.If you have kids, Cochins are a good choice.Cochins can be found in a variety of colors and patterns.
Silkies are very popular.They are a popular breed for chicken owners with kids.People love how cute these chickens are.An ornamental chicken lapdog sounds great.
They are more likely to go broody.Silkies are a good choice for a broody hen.Chicken owners call Silkies the broody queens.
Cubalaya may be a better choice as a broody hen for people who live in warmer weather.They are an aggressive breed, so keep them away from children, but they don't lay as many eggs as other breeds.They go broody a lot.
Cubalaya is a great fit for a flock that is free-ranging and raises their own chickens.They do not lay as many eggs.
For backyard chicken owners with small spaces, the Buff Orpingtons are great.If you are a new chicken owner, you need to try the Orpingtons.They are cold hardy, decent layers, and often go broody.
They make decent egg-layers, meat birds, and raise chick as well as being a dual-purpose breed.
You might never have heard of Dorking chickens, but they are known for their good laying and tendency to go broody.They are affectionate mothers.
You can expect your chicken to lay around 150 eggs a year.When it comes to a broody Dorking, age matters.It is best for the hens to be at least two years old.
If you want a decent layer and a cold-hardy breed, you need to try the Dominique chickens.These hens make great mothers.
Marans produce a range of egg colors as well.They are a decent laying breed that goes broody often.They are not cold or heat hardy.
It is not easy to find a specialty breed of chickens.It's best to find a group online that sells hatching eggs and hatch them yourself because the hens are expensive.
Icelandics are extremely cold hardy.The hens make great mothers.If they are what you want, pay the bill.
All hens can go broody, but that doesn't mean they will.Egg production hybrid and white egg laying breeds are not broody.
The standard heavy breed chickens that backyard chicken owners like you and I raise are the hens that are most likely to follow their instincts.
Yes!Older hens are broody.Young pullets are more likely to go broody than old hens.White egg-laying chickens are more likely to have a mothering instinct than brown egg laying breeds.
Larger chicken breeds sit on as many as 15 eggs at a time, assuming that the eggs are the same size that she lays.A hen can sit on more than 15 bantam eggs if she is laying them.
You cannot force a chicken to sit on eggs or go broody.We are lucky that we have incubators and hatcheries.
Even though there has been an increase in interest in having broody hens, modern breeds try to breed out the broodiness genes.Most chickens don't listen to their mothering instincts, but there are some that do.
If you rely on making some income from the eggs, then your entire flock doesn't need to be made up of broody hen breeds.You can replace the best broody hen breeds with new ones each year.
You should experience different varities of aseel hen, I have found the best broody hens and excellent mother.
Thank you so much!This is a great article.My husband and I want to have a flock that is self-sufficient.One of our chickens went broody last year, it was our first year raising chickens together.We allowed her to sit and ended up with 3 beautiful girls.We need more broody hens to help supply meat birds and fresh laying hens.