at first i didn't think she was serious, but I have a 10-month-old blue ameraucauna setting on a clutch of eggs. she and a silkie are setting side by side, each on their own clutch. i just can't get over a hen that young being broody. your thoughts?
Sure it's possible. I have one pullet that lays for 2 weeks, then goes broody. She's followed this pattern from the time she laid her first egg (much to my frustration). Once the chicks from both mothers hatch, I would advise on separating the respective mothers and their broods, for the safety of all the chicks.
It happens, especially with broody breeds. If they can lay, they can brood. My bantam Cochin frizzle went broody at 8-9 months of age, but I was trying really hard to get someone to go broody, as I wanted to hatch out my first batch of chicks.
One of my GLWs went broody right after she began laying. She also escaped the fence and set up a nest in the woods. She was about 7 months...fortunately I found her (and her pretty ground nest, sorry baby, you don't get to do this!)
I'm new here so if I'm not following the proper etiquette please let me know. My hen started laying eggs on 8/23/17. I have checked every day and as of today we have 13 eggs. Can she set this many? First time for us. When we had chickens in the past we just ate the eggs. How long do I wait for one of these hens to go broody before we try an incubator?
My thoughts: YOu're gonna have a lot of chicks. Generally folks will start a new thread. But, to answer your ? You can't make a pullet go broody. Some breeds are more inclined to be broody than others, but even in a broody prone breed, it's very specific to the individual hen. Some hens NEVER go broody, while others seem to be broody multiple times in a season. Broodiness is driven by hormones, and while some folks say that broodiness can be encouraged, I've yet to be convinced that is possible. She's a new layer. I assume you have a cockerel or a rooster? Have you checked your eggs for fertility? Setting pullet eggs is risky business, b/c they are small. While they may hatch, the resulting chicks will be small. They may put on size, and grow well, but they will be at a decided disadvantage compared to a chick that hatches from a larger egg. My advice: wait till spring.
All my Chicks were hatched from Pullets under a year old...Zero issues...Chicks healthy and great Mommas....
