Broody Question...

[BeulahBreezes]

How young can a pullet/hen go broody?

 

[aoxa]

I've seen them go months on end. They can even starve themselves to death.

You can intervene and break her, or give her eggs to hatch (or even chicks to raise).

 

[BeulahBreezes]

Oh...I meant 'how young' can a chicken be and go broody? My cuckoomarans, who is about 5 1/2 months old has me wondering about her.....

 

[sumi]

I've had 5-6 month old hens go broody.

 

[aoxa]

I've had 5-6 month old hens go broody.

Youngest I've had go broody is 24 weeks old. She has game in her probably.

 

[heybarb]

My 2 OEGB sisters that each just hatched a brood of chicks were 23 weeks old when they went "broody."

 

[aoxa]

My 2 OEGB sisters that each just hatched a brood of chicks were 23 weeks old when they went "broody."

 

Does my hen above look like she has game in her to you?

 

[heybarb]

Does my hen above look like she has game in her to you?

I really don't know that much about game birds. We got ours from a friend who said they were OE mixed with a Silkie. I sure don't see the Silkie in them except for their legs which are darker and have feathers on them. They hatched the first week of March - and my 3 girls went broody at the same time....the middle of August with 2 hatching clutches of their own this past weekend. These pictures are of the cockeral and one hen - brother & sister.

 

[BeulahBreezes]

heybarb...that is a beautiful rooster! Thank you aoxa. I did not realize they could go broody so young!

 

[heybarb]

Thanks, he is one of my son's favorite chickens!! I didn't realize it either until it happened to me!! I was thinking it'd be fun to have some new chicks next spring. Oh well! I do wish that this rooster was the daddy of my new chicks, but he is definitely not the top rooster at our house. Scooter, our bantam Buff Cochin definitely keeps him in his place!!