will x battery hens go broody?

slurp · « **on:** January 08, 2009, 17:21 »

:? i was hoping to get a couple of battery hens wait till one went broody then buy some fertile eggs but i have been told battery hens have had their broodiness bred out is this correct?

GrannieAnnie · « **Reply #1 on:** January 08, 2009, 17:31 »

Mainly correct Slurp, but 2 of mine have been broody. In fact its not just ex batts that are supposed to have the broodiness bred out of them, but all hybrids. Some still do it though, so I hope you are lucky!!!

Aunt Sally · « **Reply #2 on:** January 08, 2009, 18:22 »

Quote from: "GrannieAnnie"

Mainly correct Slurp, but 2 of mine have been broody.

But didn't you have 50 ex-batts Grannie, so two's not many !

Kym503 · « **Reply #3 on:** January 08, 2009, 19:38 »

Shoot me down if I'm wrong - but I think I read somewhere that you can encourage them to go broody by removing any eggs they lay and replacing them with dummy eggs like golf balls.

Never tried it just got lucky when one of my hybrids went broody.

Kym

too many girls · « **Reply #4 on:** January 08, 2009, 20:10 »

i think you will be lucky to get one to go broody, none of mine have (25) however, if you run them with a cockerel (i have) you will get fertile eggs than you can put in a incubator (i did) out of 12 eggs we set from ours 4 turned out to be clear, 1 died in shell, but we have 7 lovely chicks hatched Christmas eve and Christmas day, i did ask santa for a new camera for Christmas so i could post photies but he chose to give me a sewing machine instead, don't even know how to use one.....................

treacleminer · « **Reply #5 on:** January 08, 2009, 22:13 »

One of mine did go broody & I tried her with some eggs off e-bay - but the silly bird very happily would go and sit in the wrong nest box not on the eggs and so lost them all

- incubator or a known good broody breed may be safer!

GrannieAnnie · « **Reply #6 on:** January 08, 2009, 22:45 »

Quote from: "Aunt Sally"

Quote from: "GrannieAnnie"
Mainly correct Slurp, but 2 of mine have been broody.

But didn't you have 50 ex-batts Grannie, so two's not many !

Aunty, 75 at one stage actually! But 2 is better than none if you want a broody, but Brian didn't, so we had to dissuade them a bit!!!

slurp · « **Reply #7 on:** January 09, 2009, 09:57 »

Thanks for your replies it does sound like i could not bank on a battery hen going broody and as i was only looking to start with 5 the odds dont look great perhaps i will ask my neighbours who have hens if i could borrow their hen if one goes broody otherwise its the incubator route but personaly i would rather pay a grain bill than a electricity bill

WoodyK · « **Reply #8 on:** January 12, 2009, 16:48 »

This is Nigella, on of my ex batts sitting on 16 eggs!!!

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Aunt Sally · « **Reply #9 on:** January 12, 2009, 18:14 »

Quote from: "slurp"

i would rather pay a grain bill than a electricity bill

And hens are much better at it than incubators are

slurp · « **Reply #10 on:** January 12, 2009, 20:11 »

Quote from: "WoodyK"

This is Nigella, on of my ex batts sitting on 16 eggs!!! Great photo howmany x bats have you got and how long did it take for her to go broody?

WoodyK · « **Reply #11 on:** January 12, 2009, 21:08 »

Hello Slurp

I have 3. I got them in July and she did this just before Christmas.

W

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will x battery hens go broody?

too many girls

treacleminer