Can a hen go broody during her first week of laying?

They have to be atleast a year old to go broody. so I would not think she is trying to go broody

 

They don't have to be a certain age to go broody, but I doubt your RIR is. Could happen, but they are bred for making eggs, not hatching them. Sometimes my girls like to lay on their egg for a bit after they lay, but none of them have gone broody. If I catch them laying on an egg, I take it just so they don't decide to, since they don't have a roo.

 

Quote:Not true .. hens don't know if they are a year old or not.

My BFFs little bantam cochin pullet is JUST 6 months old and she is running around with 9 chicks that she hatched. She went broody the week she started laying!

Having said that .. I think it would be a little rarer for a large fowl bird, but not impossible.

 

Quote:Absolutely not true, sorry. Our first broody ever went broody within one month of starting to lay at about 25 weeks old. Where did you get that information?

That said, I doubt yours is going broody. Sometimes they just daydream while sitting on the egg, it seems.

 

Quote:Well just to dispel this myth, my Gold Brahma hen has been broody 3 times , has hatched 2 clutches, and turns a year old at the end of the month.

Sandie

 

Same here, I have a group fo 4 girls who are all less than a year old. 1 girl has month old chicks now, 2 girls already raised a batch at about 6 months old, booted them from the nest, spent a couple months doing nothing, and are now broody again. 4th girl was broody, I broke her, she is now broody again and stole a chick from one of my other broody girls. They were all hatched last fall....possibly end of September?

 

My hen Gerty is stupid
She is over a year old and tried to brood baby mice! I mean actually attacked me when I tried to remove them! She hid them in her feathers and thought they were chicks?

She is not my friend now? I wonder if she will ever be ready to actually sit eggs?

Oesdog -

 

Oh, I'm SO sorry for Gerty.

I am sure she will brood if given eggs, she deserves to do after having rodents!!!

Place some eggs (thought to be fertile) in front of her,,,, I'm sure she will roll them under,

Sandie

 

my 21 week old just hatched out 11 chicks, so no they dont need to be a year to go broody!