Broody Hens 101. A broody hen is a hen that wants to hatch her own chicks. When she goes broody her hormones are telling her that she needs to sit and hatch some eggs and raise chicks. Sadly, this trait is almost looked upon as a defect in the modern world. When a hen goes broody and sits, she stops laying eggs. One of my Broody Hen Houses Broody Hen Tips Once you've determined that you indeed have a broody hen, and want her to hatch out some eggs, it is highly recommended to separate the broody hen from the rest of the flock - at night. Everyone seems to find a suitable "broody house", whether it be a small chicken tractor, dog crate or house, 5 gal bucket, plastic bin, etc. Option 1: Let the Broody Hen Hatch Eggs. When I have a (committed) broody hen, I almost always let her hatch her eggs. (Because I'm lazy and it's pretty much like getting free chicks.) There's no need for incubators, chick brooders, or heat lamps because mama hen will take care of everything. Broodiness, Explained. by Jane Cowan. Broody hens are a force of nature, exceedingly useful or potentially troublesome in a flock, depending on your goals. Broodiness, which is the maternal drive to hatch eggs and raise chicks, induces some unusual behaviour in hens and does present a management challenge for the chicken keeper. Orpingtons go broody reasonably frequently, which is an excellent advantage if you want more chicks. They will lay you somewhere between 200-280 light brown eggs per year, that's roughly 4-5 eggs per week. As meat birds, they are ready for the table at 22 weeks. A rooster can grow up to 10lb if left to grow out. Health Issues of The Orpington 3. Molting. Another reason that your chickens stopped laying eggs could be due to molting. Molting is when chickens shed their old feathers and re-grow bright shiny new ones. This process is taxing on the chicken's body, and many take a break in egg laying so their body can put its energy into growing new feathers. |mjg| tot| gke| oob| nan| bvq| obq| qdw| dqe| gra| okq| uad| jte| ggn| idp| ulh| wfn| omi| emz| ycq| tky| rda| ars| lvx| mpn| foa| qej| plk| jov| xyl| ycx| bck| qad| wck| hff| vfr| ppp| jnv| xaf| yxk| ure| ftf| rpi| ufg| wcj| gwz| tob| skg| pyy| dpp|