8 Month Old RIR Hen Goes Broody On One Egg

[BENNY]

One of my 8 month old RIR hens started sitting on a single egg Wed. 2/9/11. I thought she would quit but today Fri. 2/11/11 she is sitting right on. A neighbor gave me 8 fertile eggs from his hens and I placed them under her this afternoon and she went back to sitting. Is she old enough to hatch the eggs and what will I have to do to keep them alive? It will be the early part of March and still very cold here in Kentucky. Thanks for any advice . Benny

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Congrats on your broody!

Yes, she's old enough to hatch but is she going to be a dedicated broody is what you will find out in the coming weeks. Some stop sitting. But if she does manage to stick it out, she should take care of the chicks in whatever weather you are having.

Case in point: my 8 month old GLW hatched out 3 chicks and has raised them in all below freezing (and some sub-zero) temps. Everyone's fine. However, 9 chicks might be a bit much for her to keep warm (depending on how COLD it is and for how much longer) as they get bigger. Mine are a tad over 4 weeks old right now and are still under Mom at night since it's so cold (-12 this morning). They are fine during the day (it was 23 for a high).

Good luck and keep us posted. And again, don't worry, Mom knows what to do.