Nicky cigreen
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chickens for broodingmy 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?
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Bungo
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Indian game seem a pretty broody lot , I have one at the moment gone broody.
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Bodger
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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.
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Nicky cigreen
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hmm yes a silkie cross makes sense - thanks
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Shan
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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. 
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SandraR
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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.
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Nicky cigreen
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maybe I should give IG another go - the only one I reared before was tiny
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Shan
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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.
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chez
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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.
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Woodburner
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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.
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Bodger
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Some big IG can be quite clumsy with the eggs and chicks.
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Nicky cigreen
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just remember the broody i use atm is IG/Ixworth i think
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Bodger
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Thats a big beggar then, lets hope that she has dancing feet.
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Nicky cigreen
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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...
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Bodger
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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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SandraR
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I always prefer to use reliable broodies and run a flock of six or so. I never mind how many eggs I get from them, they more than earn their keep each year rearing chicks.
This year I too need to mark out a few replacements as the original gang are getting on.
I have 9 Welsummer X Indian Game youngests I'm hoping will show promise - as long as the brooding instint from the Game is stronger than the Welsummer gene they should be OK.
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Nicky cigreen
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I always prefer to use reliable broodies and run a flock of six or so. I never mind how many eggs I get from them, they more than earn their keep each year rearing chicks.
This year I too need to mark out a few replacements as the original gang are getting on.
I have 9 Welsummer X Indian Game youngests I'm hoping will show promise - as long as the brooding instint from the Game is stronger than the Welsummer gene they should be OK. |
. But I do have broodies of every conceivable breed coming out of my ears at the moment 
)
