Will my broody pullet hatch

[weeders n feeders]

I have a 5 1/2 month old Bantam dark brahma(possibly silkie mix,really not sure ) that is acting like she is going broody. I am wondering if she is mature enough to hatch some eggs? I am guessing that she weighs a little over a pound. Her size is about what a 2-3 week old Cornish X would be. Her eggs only way about 36 grams. She has been sitting in the nest longer and longer each day. She will leave the nest if we take her egg and any wooden eggs. Tonight when we went to close them up, she was sitting in the nest after dark on 2 wooden eggs. She will growl at you when you get near the nest for anything.

I am not thinking about letting her sit on her eggs. I will probably let her sit on the eggs from a BR roo and production red or comet hen. Does this sound like it might work? I am only thinking about giving her 2-3 eggs to hatch. What does everyone think.

 

[sourland]

Ought to work. She has the genes to be a good broody hen.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Don't worry about her age. It's all about instinct, not age. If she stays on the nest two nights in a row instead of on her favorite roost, she deserves some eggs as far as I am concerned.

I'm not sure of the size of the pullet versus the eggs but two or three, maybe four at the most, sounds about right with full sized eggs. She needs to be able to cover all of them.

Those chicks will soon be as big as she is. She won't be able to cover them for long after they hatch. Hatching in South Carolina at this time of year, that is absolutely not a problem. She will be able to handle it.

Good luck and congratulations.

 

[DanEP]

Best brody I've ever had was 6 1/2 months old when she hatched her first 7 chicks.

 

[weeders n feeders]

We ended up putting 4 eggs under her on Aug 18. One from a PR, 2 from RSL, 1 from an EE. Hope everyting goes well and in 21 days we will have 4 little chicks. That should work good because the same week these should be born, we are supposed to be getting 35 cornish x, 2 Australorps and 2 New Hampshires. We are going to slip in the 4 layers see if she will adopt them and help raise them.

 

[weeders n feeders]

Update
FEatherFoot has been dutifully sitting.
Went out to check for eggs. About noon and she was off the nest for lunch so I took a peak and two have piped. We,re only on day 19

 

[SSTupperware]

Good luck...