Breeding question

[Summer98]

I have my very first broody hen today. My chickens are young (18-19 weeks old) and I was surprised to see one go broody already. Anyways, I don't want to let this girl hatch them out because I don't know which rooster mated her. We have two rooster in with them. My question is, if I were to remove the rooster I don't want to breed so that the rooster I do want to breed is the only one with the girls, how long must I wait to ensure that it is only him that has mated? (I'm assuming that some of the sperm from the other rooster would remain for a period of time.) This way, if I want to let one of the hens go broody, I can be sure it was the rooster I liked that fathered it.

Also, is it normal for hens to go broody so young? She is an all white EE hen that lays blue eggs. She is sitting on two eggs and I remove them daily, so she must have some one else's egg today.

 

[Cotton42]

I'd give it at least a month to be sure. Being broody is a hormonal thing and can happen at any time. I had 2 sisters start laying and then 2 weeks later go broody within a day of each other. If you're not going to let her sit, I would break her.