20/21 week old broody with 16 eggs!!!!!!

[spish]

so one of my youngsters has been missing for a week or so, presumed eaten by a fox or something.
yesterday she came strutting across the fields all fluffed searched for food/water as fast as she could and dissappeared again. today she did the same so i followed her. she has a nest in a thistle patch with 16 eggs in!!!!!!!!!!!! she must have ben collecting them for weeks! is it normal for such a young hen to go all broody? i didnt even know she'd started laying!

 

[teresa-78]

wow thats young.. my chicken is nearly 3 and has just gone broody for the first time, and is sitting on 12 eggs... think she has only gone broody due to my bantam sitting on 4 eggs, good luck hope all goes well

are you allowing her to sit ?? if so keep us posted

 

[Happy Chooks]

Wow, lucky you! You didn't even have to try and get a broody! Hope you have a rooster and she's not sitting on duds.

 

[TurkeyMountainChickens]

That definitely seems a bit young, doesn't it? The earliest I've had a pullet go broody was 8 months!

Do you think predators will be able to get at her? If so, you might want to try moving her. I'd hate to see you loose your girl after you just found her again!

There are some great tips on this site about resettling a broody hen.

 

[texasgal]

**sigh**

Broody at 21 weeks .. with 16 eggs ...

My girls are 23 weeks .. no eggs yet!

congrats! .. do you have a roo?

 

[StormyMoon]

Aww Glad she came home, and congrats on the find.....

 

[spish]

yeah we have a roo..but he has 34 girls so not sure if he's been busy with her. just snatched a few eggs to try candling them but couldnt see much. broke 2 open and they were smelly with what looked like blood inside? take it these were going rotten. am unsure about the other 14 eggs now, maybe they are duds? could they have been there for weeks and she's just added to the pile and gotten broody?
do i bring them all in to candle? take them all away and set other eggs under her? i have no idea how long shes been sitting (hence the candling to try and figure out developement) but still no clue?

 

[spish]

well cracked another open today and it was the same runny yellow but with lots of red veins and a tiny embryo in the middle, so i think some are fertile but dont know if they are any good. couldnt see a heartbeat ?