Broody Hen Thread!

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CanaDawn said:
Birds are "opposite" to mammals in that the female of birds determines the sex of the offspring. In humans, males are XY and give one half of that to their offspring, while females are XX and can only give an X. Chickens, it's the other way, and the female has different sex chromosomes, and the roo has two the same.

BUT: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/a-drop-in-temperature-can-change-the-sex-of-chickens-1238516.html

It looks like, genetics aside, a chilled male egg will end up being functionally female. IF though, you cross those fe(male) birds, the offspring will be ALL male (because the fe(male) has only got one type of sex chromosome to pass along.) Make sense?

Also "The chilling technique only changes the sex of 10 per cent of males into females, although if these birds are then crossed with normal males an all-male brood results."

So...if you're getting no females at all, you may want to change your hens, cuz they may be chilly roosters laying eggs...
yippiechickie.gif

Even if you get chilled-to-female hatches, those new "hens" won't produce hens the next generation, because you don't actually change the sex of the bird, just the function of the chilled roos.

Interesting stuff, zoology.
wink.png
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What what what? That is karazy! male roo sperm has XX? The egg has XY? I haven't been this shocked and surprised in years. Monica and Bill was a 1 on the surprise scale of this 10. Love it!
 
alibabba said:
What what what? That is karazy! male roo sperm has XX? The egg has XY? I haven't been this shocked and surprised in years. Monica and Bill was a 1 on the surprise scale of this 10. Love it!
Click to expand...

Pretty cool hey? (Literally....)
In birds they use ZW and ZZ (roos are ZZ, hens are ZW, unless they're cold male hatch ZZ and then the weirdness starts.)
I'm laughing now, because if I knew I had one of the ZZ "hens" I would have to call it "Dusty Hill"
 
Hello! I have a Blue Laced Red Wyandotte who has been broody and sitting on 4 wooden eggs for the past 7 days. She seems extremely determined so I am going to pick up a few fertile eggs later today since we no longer have a rooster in the flock. I moved her into a dog crate with a nest box, plenty of straw, and the 4 wooden eggs so that the other hens won't bother her or the chicks when they hatch. When I moved her into the dog crate she sat on the eggs for a little bit and then left them as soon as she spotted the feed that I have put in the crate for her. She stayed off the eggs for more than an hour. I thought she was no longer broody. However, when I put her back in the coop with the rest of the flock, she walked around with her feathers fluffed up and begin to attack the other hens, then went back up and sat in her original nest box and sat on the wooden eggs which I had put back in the nest boxes.

I am assuming she just wanted to be in the nest box she went broody in. Should I just give her the fertile eggs in there and hope the other hens don't mess with her? I am afraid if I keep trying to move her she will no longer be broody. I have used an incubator a few times but I have never hatched eggs with a broody before so any info is helpful! Thanks!
 
chickenpooplady said:
Hello! I have a Blue Laced Red Wyandotte who has been broody and sitting on 4 wooden eggs for the past 7 days. She seems extremely determined so I am going to pick up a few fertile eggs later today since we no longer have a rooster in the flock. I moved her into a dog crate with a nest box, plenty of straw, and the 4 wooden eggs so that the other hens won't bother her or the chicks when they hatch. When I moved her into the dog crate she sat on the eggs for a little bit and then left them as soon as she spotted the feed that I have put in the crate for her. She stayed off the eggs for more than an hour. I thought she was no longer broody. However, when I put her back in the coop with the rest of the flock, she walked around with her feathers fluffed up and begin to attack the other hens, then went back up and sat in her original nest box and sat on the wooden eggs which I had put back in the nest boxes.

I am assuming she just wanted to be in the nest box she went broody in. Should I just give her the fertile eggs in there and hope the other hens don't mess with her? I am afraid if I keep trying to move her she will no longer be broody. I have used an incubator a few times but I have never hatched eggs with a broody before so any info is helpful! Thanks!
Click to expand...

I would leave her in there until day 20 and I would block the nest after a a baby or two hatch then move her that's what I did with my Rhode Island Red
 


Broody number ten since March, Mean Girl.
She was the meanest little chick I've ever seen, but she's a very sweet pullet. The name just stuck. Lol!
 

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