Chicken going Broody too young?

[BossTorres89]

Hi everyone I have a leghorn mix and she just started laying eggs about maybe 3 weeks ago and she's been trying to go broody we don't have a rooster I would like to buy her a fertilized egg (in the future) but I feel like it's too soon at what age do you let your newly laying chicken hatch and egg? Should I wait until she is a year old? Thank you all! I just want her to be mature enough to take care of the babies and want to take care of the babies and for her to be a good mom.

 

[aart]

First, make sure she's broody.
These are my go-to signs of a broody:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

 

[BossTorres89]

First, make sure she's broody.
These are my go-to signs of a broody:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

Thank you so much I appreciate your feedback and advise every time I open the coop she fluffs up and does do the screeching pancake look and sound LOL she's been in the coop now for three to four days she will come out for food and she will come out if I open up the coop and she knows other chickens are out. She's still very young though like I said she had only been laying for about 3 weeks. I have been removing eggs as fast as I can once they are laid so she can snap out of it. I hope it helps. When do you let your head become moms?

 

[BossTorres89]

Thank you so much I appreciate your feedback and advise every time I open the coop she fluffs up and does do the screeching pancake look and sound LOL she's been in the coop now for three to four days she will come out for food and she will come out if I open up the coop and she knows other chickens are out. She's still very young though like I said she had only been laying for about 3 weeks. I have been removing eggs as fast as I can once they are laid so she can snap out of it. I hope it helps. When do you let your head become moms?

The coop is in a 10x10x6' enclosure

 

[starri33]

First, make sure she's broody.
These are my go-to signs of a broody:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

I love the "fluffy screeching pancake" ..lol, that was my broody yesterday before broody prison, she's been broody almost a month now..

 

[BossTorres89]

I love the "fluffy screeching pancake" ..lol, that was my broody yesterday before broody prison, she's been broody almost a month now..

She's super sweet when she's not in the box lol definitely a screech!

 

[aart]

I'd break a broody bird that young...but there's no telling how good of a 'mom' she might be.
There's a lot to think about before letting a broody hatch.

You'll need to decide if you want her to hatch out some chicks, and how you will 'manage' it.
Do you have, or can you get, some fertile eggs?
Do you have the space needed? Both for more chickens and she may need to be separated by wire from the rest of the flock.
Do you have a plan on what to do with the inevitable males? Rehome, butcher, keep in separate 'bachelor pad'?
If you decide to let her hatch out some fertile eggs, this is a great thread for reference and to ask questions.
It's a long one but just start reading the first few pages, then browse thru some more at random. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/broody-hen-thread.496101/

 

[BossTorres89]

I'd break a broody bird that young...but there's no telling how good of a 'mom' she might be.
There's a lot to think about before letting a broody hatch.

You'll need to decide if you want her to hatch out some chicks, and how you will 'manage' it.
Do you have, or can you get, some fertile eggs?
Do you have the space needed? Both for more chickens and she may need to be separated by wire from the rest of the flock.
Do you have a plan on what to do with the inevitable males? Rehome, butcher, keep in separate 'bachelor pad'?
If you decide to let her hatch out some fertile eggs, this is a great thread for reference and to ask questions.
It's a long one but just start reading the first few pages, then browse thru some more at random. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/broody-hen-thread.496101/

Hi Aart thank you so much I appreciate all of these awesome questions! I'm glad the first concern is too young I thought so too! But I wasn't sure what a good age is for her to start we definitely have the room we have at least a half an acre fenced in the back yard and another half in the front we do not have any roosters. And I know they have fertilized eggs available locally. I could make a separate but attachable run no problem I wanted to attach a 6x6x6ft chain link enclosure or bigger. In addition to our 10x10x6. I attached a picture of our current coop. And yes we are able to rehome the chicks if necessary but I would like to keep at least one I would probably only want her to hatch in the future probably next year 3 chicks. But for now I'll happily break her from being broody!

 

[aart]

That's a mighty tiny coop.

 

[BossTorres89]

That's a mighty tiny coop.

Its bigger than it looks lol