Ok since we are on the subject of hatching eggs, how do you so it and when??

I am new to the chicken life and don't know what to do. I love my breed of chicken and they give me wonderful brown eggs and would love to keep this kind, don't know what they are because all 21 of them were given to me in Sept. I think they are Red Rock but could be wrong and I also don't want 25 of them from the Hatcherys so how do I let the hens do their motherly thing???? And what time of year??

Thank you!!

-- sonneyacres (jtgt12@ntelos.net), January 28, 2002

Answers

you do have a rooster right?

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), January 28, 2002.

Assuming you have a rooster, and assuming you want the hens to do the work, you just gotta watch and wait for one to get broody. I don't know any way to make one brood.

Most hens, if they are going to brood, will do it in spring. No need to save her eggs ahead of time. If one starts to brood, collect the eggs for a couple of days and give them to her after she starts staying in the nest overnight.

-- mary (marylgarcia@aol.com), January 28, 2002.

All good advice given. Also, I am not familiar with the breed but if it is one of the many sex-linked breeds out there it may not breed true so the chicks won't necessarily be like the parents.

-- Trisha-MN (coldguinea@netscape.net), January 28, 2002.

sonneyacres, do some searching in the archives, this is a good idea each time before you ask a question. Lots of discussions on chickens. However if you would like to contact a just-for-chickens forum(here we go again, LOL) log on to www.thepoultryconnection.com and go to their general poultry forum. Lots of experts there who can talk you through this(although as already said, it's the hen who picks the time and place)and answer your questions. My ducks start getting broody about March. It depends on the lengh of daylight hours they are getting. I don't collect any eggs, I just let them sit on them when they are ready, the youngin's seem to hatch out at all the same time(if I want babies from this hen). I do put more desirable eggs under any hen that is broody and take away the natural eggs layed by that hen if I don't want ducklings from her. You are going to have lots of fun. What could be more fun than watching newly hatched poultry? LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), January 28, 2002.

go to these sites http://www.poultryconnection.com go to the poultry forum and go to http://www.nevadatea.com/chicken and go to the forum and ask about this question there is all kinds of people with chickens probably need a rooster, or does one of the birds have a enormous comb and crow? Also can send a free sample of nationalpoultrynews http://www.nationalpoultrynews.com Glenda L. heywood

-- GLheywood (frizzlebird@yahoo.com), February 01, 2002.