Can pullets raise chicks? /hatching under a pullet?

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

Hi, I have a Silkie thats near 8 months old that has gone broody today. She has been laying for 4 weeks and so far all her eggs have been fertile that I have eaten. I do have 8 eggs collected that I haven't eaten yet and I was wondering if it is a good idea to allow her to brood and hatch those 8? Or is it just best to break her and next time she goes broody allow her to raise some babies? -when she's a hen (over a year old).
Any experience with pullets hatching and raising chicks?
.. I have an older girl, 5 years old, who is the best mumma! She even takes care of the others in the flock .. Pic of Chickaletta (5 yr old) helping Nugget (the now broody pullet) take a dust bath. So cute to watch!! I love how they all have different personalities!

 

[The Happster]

No reason she can't.
My main broody hatched for her first time at just under 6 months. She's a Sussex. All three hatched, and she raised them very well. She's hatched 80% of my current chicken population now.
If she seems serious enough, I'd go for it.
Beautiful birds.

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

No reason she can't.
My main broody hatched for her first time at just under 6 months. She's a Sussex. All three hatched, and she raised them very well. She's hatched 80% of my current chicken population now.
If she seems serious enough, I'd go for it.
Beautiful birds.

Thanks! I'll see if she's still committed to her broodiness over the next few days then go for it. She is a good weight and healthy but I may need to give her an extra haircut around the eyes so she can see her babies

 

[The Happster]

Enjoy your hatching.
Not had silkies yet, but they're the broody queens of the chicken world. I'm sure she'll do a good job.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You have two issues, the pullet eggs and that she is a pullet.

I hatch pullet eggs. My hatch rate isn't as good as with eggs from hens that have been laying longer but many of them hatch. The eggs are fairly small compared to what they will be later so the chicks will be small. I hardly ever lose any chick that hatches but when I do it's often one from a small pullet eggs. So my survivability rate isn't quite as good but most do survive if they hatch. There are many reasons to not hatch pullet eggs but a lot of those depend on your goals. If you can accept that hatching may not be quite as good as it might be if you waited and it meets your goals, go for it.

I've had first time broodies, pullet or older hen, do a great job. I've had older hens that did a great job the first time do a horrible job the second. I've had a hen that did horrible her first time do horrible her second. That one never got a third chance. Any time you use a broody you take a chance. It could work out great, it could be bad. From what I've seen your chances don't get a lot better if you wait.

If I have a broody pullet or hen and I want her to hatch I give her eggs. Usually it works out fine. Usually.

 

[Cheeki]

Every hatch I had in the last year has been from pullets. My oldest birds are just now turning a year old and I agree the chicks are small, but pullets are good to raise them.
I figured that if they're laying and breeding, they can hatch and raise.

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

She seems committed so I have set her on 6 eggs in another coop, although communal area so I'll have to set up some fences if she goes to hatch. The other chickens don't go into that coop anyway so she shouldn't get disturbed.

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

Ah no she won't sit in her new nest! I haven't had a problem moving a broody before, they always just sat on the eggs and stayed there! She just goes back to the other nest. I tried blocking her off but she sat beside the eggs instead of on them!

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

And.. Here's our of her back in her communal nest box...

 

[MarkJr]

I’d let her choose her spot.