Broody Age

[brotchicks]

At what age can chicken go broody? My partridge Cochin is 23 weeks old as of today and when we went out to lock them in tonight she had made a little nest and was laying right next to the fake egg we put in there. Then I saw her taking the egg underneath her with her beak. She has not started laying yet and I highly doubt that this was a coincidence because she always sleeps on the roosting bar. Is it possible she is going broody?

 

[brotchicks]

I forgot to add that when I went to pet her she made a very low growling like noise as if she were protecting the egg.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Probably not actually broody yet, but practicing eggs laying.

 

[DanEP]

Some cochins can be very broody. I've had more than one that layed 3-5 eggs and then went broody. Time will tell, watch her and see if she stays on the fake egg you'll know. I usually break them at that age as pullets are not always the best mothers at 6 months old and they almost always go broody again a few months later.