Natural breeding thread

[BDutch]

This thread is meant for newcomers to advice them and for everyone with experience in natural breeding with broodies who like to know more or can do with a little more advice.
2 main reasons:

1. Incubating with a machine and a brooder for the chicks is totally different from hatching with broodies.
2. Bc there is a lot of information about incubating and not very much guidelines for people who like to try to hatch chicks with a broody.

Unfortunately hatching with broodies in a coop is often not as easy as it seems, and there are so many people here who can give advice.

 

[DobieLover]

I wrote an article on this very subject...

 

[SweetieChicken234]

I have experience with incubating and my first broody experience last year.
This is my thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/is-it-possible-to-save-this-egg.1629480/

 

[Altairsky]

Hatching with a broody is easy if the flock is small and harmonious. 1 rooster and 3 or 4 hens is the natural ratio for natural breeding without broody separation. A rooster can easily control 3 or 4 hens. More hens he can't control. A good rooster knows when one of his hens is sitting on his kids, and he will be extremely protective and caring of the broody hen.
Unfortunately, most natural breeding attempts take place on non-natural flocks where there is no rooster, there are too many hens, overcrowded, or there is an extreme ratio of 1 rooster to 10+ hens in which case, poor rooster. So in these cases, broody separation is a must.

 

[BDutch]

I wrote an article on this very subject...

View attachment 4056041

View attachment 4056040

I know. It’s a great and very informative article but no article can ever give full disclosure about all aspects. And if people do a search, they usually don’t get to see the articles about the subject.

With a search on natural + breeding this thread came up as first.

search on natural + breeding

 

[TOMTE]

I would LOVE to either hatch eggs under a broody or place young chicks with one. Someday. So I'll follow this thread for tips!

 

[TexasBlues]

Here’s my black copper marans hen raising a brood of whiting true blue chicks.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3DdVs76DLBSwDo50xGYnJ16TTnWIk2SF&feature=shared

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I've done both - in fact I've got a duck sitting on a pile right now, a turkey hen setting a clutch (first time, she will likely abandon), and anm considering incubating a dozen chicks now that egg production has returned.

Will follow along, offer comment where I can.

 

[BDutch]

I would LOVE to either hatch eggs under a broody or place young chicks with one. Someday. So I'll follow this thread for tips!

Better not place young chicks with a broody unprepared. It can go wrong very easily.

 

[BDutch]

Here’s my black copper marans hen raising a brood of whiting true blue chicks.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3DdVs76DLBSwDo50xGYnJ16TTnWIk2SF&feature=shared

The first video shows chicks that are older. Chicks stay under the broody the first days and cant be that quick if they are just 1 day old.