The Poultry Keeper

Deb_Moderator · Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 3661

This thread is for Bovan Nera Hybrids.

nigel · Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2005 5:35 pm Post subject:

POL Bovans Nera

The Bovans Nera is a Rhode Island Red hybrid bred to be a hardy free ranging bird. Colours range from pure black with a hint of green iridescence, to black with some red on the throat. They are a confident friendly bird, easily tamed. Mine feeds from my hand and follows me around the paddock just to make sure I'm not hiding anything. They lay large (approx. 72g) eggs of a pale tinted brown, very similar to the standard supermarket egg in colour. You will notice a big difference in the contents and taste. They can go broody and allegedly make very good mothers.

I would recommend the Bovans to any beginner and think they would be great with young children. Smile

summayah · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 4289 Location: luton

Just to add ~ mine has made an excellent mother. She was good at sitting and has stayed with the chicks and still calls them for tasty morsels of food. The babies, lf orpingtons, are six and a half weeks old and still sit under mum during the day and she still takes excellent care of them.

Lisa · Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 8:21 pm Post subject:

Introducing "Atilla the Hen" - now lovingly known to everyone as "Tilly"...

I picked her out of about 20 others as she had the most gold on her neck for a Bovan Nera. With Nigel's picture I hope that gives you a good idea of the variation in colouring.

She has a great character and a lot of confidence - hence her name as she tried to take on the exisiting hens when I first introduced her as one a new pair to my little flock.

Now she's settled in she is really friendly and inquisitive. She's even been over the fence once to say "hi" to my rescue German Shepherd dog Shocked

Her eggs are a typical brown egg colour. Hers are a tad on the small size, only about 60g on average, but then she is a little on the small size herself (she was ill when I first got her and I think this has stunted her growth and resulted in the smaller eggs). She is certainly a tough cookie to come through all she went through...

She has gone broody twice this year, but has come out of it within less than a week with very little intervention from me, so that's not so bad (I didn't want a broody, but it can happen with any sort).

In my experience I totally agree that they would make a great chicken for a first timer - very friendly and lots of fun Smile

NikiB · Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 10:25 pm Post subject:

I got a lovely Bovan Nera, called Molly. She is really friendly, and lays nearly every day. She has laid two double yolkers this year, the last one weighing 96 grams !

This is Molly at about 18 weeks, she is now 27 weeks, and has laid 31 eggs !

Niki

smudge100 · Joined: 19 Jan 2008 Posts: 1

Hello,

Does anyone have any information regarding the triple magpie. I believe it is a hybrid of Bovans Nera?