Too Young?

[23kthistlethwaite]

Hey just wanted some opinions. I have a Cochin hen that is broody and I would like to hatch my own eggs this year, but I’m worried she if her being young might not make her a great candidate for a mom. She was hatched in October and she is still kinda small, not full grown yet. Her eggs are small too but I have other hens whose eggs I could hatch. What do you think? Give her a chance or am I better off waiting for one of my other hens to go broody?

 

[_-Captain BRM-_]

I'd give her a chance, but be careful not to have high hopes

 

[HappyClucker7]

How long has she been broody?

 

[NatJ]

It's up to you, but I would probably give her a chance and see.

I've had first-time broodies who were young and did fine.
(Of course there are no guarantees.)

 

[23kthistlethwaite]

How long has she been broody?

3 days I believe. How long do you think should I wait before I put some eggs under her?

 

[NatJ]

3 days I believe. How long do you think should I wait before I put some eggs under her?

That sounds about right. It's long enough to be sure she means it, but not so long that she's ready to quit.

But if you want to move her to a different nest, do that first, and give her fake eggs in the new nest for a day or two before you trust her with real ones. Some hens will accept being moved, some will not, and some fuss around and pace and may break the eggs while they are deciding.

 

[23kthistlethwaite]

I was also wonder what to look for when selecting eggs to hatch. I have this hen that I would like to hatch from because she lays really big eggs…. but she lays really big eggs and I’m not sure if that makes them a good or bad choice to hatch

 

[Tonyroo]

You can use all of the largest eggs to hatch. But really consider the quality of the hen, so you'll know the traits being passed on to the chicks.

 

[NatJ]

I was also wonder what to look for when selecting eggs to hatch. I have this hen that I would like to hatch from because she lays really big eggs…. but she lays really big eggs and I’m not sure if that makes them a good or bad choice to hatch

If the eggs are normal for that hen, they are probably fine. You probably don't want to hatch eggs that are unusually big or small when compared to the normal eggs from that same hen, but how they compare to eggs from the rest of the flock shouldn't be a problem.


Deciding which female has traits you like, and hatching her eggs, sounds like a very good plan to me

 

[Acre4Me]

As a mom, she might be fine. BUT, she’s only 6 months old and not fully grown. A broody hen hardly eats and drinks for 3 weeks. This is more detrimental for her bc she should be allowed to grow fully before partially starving herself for 3 weeks. I’d vote No for now due to her young age and immature body.