Characteristics of a Mother Hen

Good characteristics in a mother hen are vital for successful rearing of chicks in the old-fashioned style. Using a broody hen for natural incubation of chicks, rather than the incubating machine method, you can hatch up to 20 eggs at a time. Between 12 and 15 eggs are more usual, since greater numbers mean some eggs won't be covered warmly for the whole incubation period.

  1. Good Layers and Hatchers

    • A good mother hen lays plenty of eggs and is able to hatch almost all of the eggs she incubates. While poor laying can be due to factors like unbalanced or too little food, successful hatching relies on her characteristics. Once she is given a suitably peaceful location and left undisturbed, a broody mother hen will sit for hours at a time, only getting up to eat, drink and defecate. In the last week before the eggs hatch, hens often seem to stay on the nest all day and night. They will also stop their usual practice of rotating eggs to provide even temperatures.

    Good Mothering Skills

    • Humans with excessively protective maternal leanings are described as mother hens for a good reason. Hens are wonderful mothers who continually fuss over their chicks. As well as providing chicks with the warmth of her body and the shelter of her wings, a hen will fiercely attack anyone daring to disturb her brood. Good mother hens keep their chicks close to them, safe within the compound. Hens that forage far and wide are not good mother hen material, since this exposes youngsters to predators.

    Resistance to Disease and Parasites

    • Mother hens must be chosen from birds with good resistance to diseases and external parasites. This is because these characteristics will be passed down to her many generations of offspring. It's also because hens are more vulnerable to parasites during the brooding period, so good resistance is important for the health of both the hen and her chicks. Some diseases are due to external cleanliness of her accommodation, or diet inefficiencies. Mother hens often eat too little in their absorption with hatching chicks and can be more at risk of contracting illnesses.

    Fast Growth Rates

    • Choose mother hens with the valued characteristic of raising quickly maturing, strong and healthy chicks, for the best results. She will teach her chicks how to scratch for food and forage for worms. Mother hens do this by picking up approved items of food in their beaks and dropping them in front of their offspring. Enhance her positive traits with good feeding practices and clean surroundings. If your chicks are not growing up fast and healthy, observe the hens' characteristics and remove any without these traits from your breeding program.