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[JuniorEct]

8 months is to young to go broody. She wont be a good mother even if she wanted to.

About how old will she be to become a mother?

 

[JuniorEct]

Easter Eggers down go broody often.
A cardboard box wont hold heat well enough. Do you have a styrophome cooler, or a plastic tote? That will work much better. A real incubator is ideal, but, you can build something like this- https://www.instructables.com/The-3-30-Minute-Egg-Incubator/ but leaf particles are not going to keep it warm either. Try to make something as close to this as you can.
If you are willing to buy a real incubator, that is what I would suggest.

“Good idea”, it will take me some time to build something like that in the mean time I will use a carbord and a light.

 

[FuzzyCritters]

She is unlikely to go broody. Broodiness has been bred out of most breeds. Just because a rooster is mating doesn't mean she will be broody. If you really want chicks, you need an incubator (or a silkie chicken--they are almost guaranteed to go broody).

 

[Weeg]

About how old will she be to become a mother?

Chickens were bred to lay eggs, there for, the want to mother and hatch eggs was bred out of them. They don't have the same instinct that wild birds do, so she isn't going to instinctual want to hatch eggs every year. Some breeds aren't bred as much for eggs, so the want to hatch eggs, (which is called brooding, or a broody hen) is more prominent since they haven't been bred for eggs so much. Bottom line, chickens don't go broody every year 100%. Especially Easter Eggers. EE's are a hybrid breed and are bred, and mixed with other breeds so much that the instinct to brood isn't really there anymore. They don't go broody often, and I have never had an Easter Egger that has gone broody, or wanted to be a mother.

The short answer is, she may never go broody. Chickens aren't bred to hatch chicks, their bred to lay eggs, so the need to brood and reproduce gets almost "diluted" in their instinct. Does that make sense? I hope I can help!

 

[Weeg]

Cardboard wont get warm enough. The eggs either wont have enough heat, or wills tart to develop and then die, since the box wont hold heat as well as Styrofoam or plastic. You can always give it a try though. Glad to help!

“Good idea”, it will take me some time to build something like that in the mean time I will use a carbord and a light.

 

[JuniorEct]

Chickens were bred to lay eggs, there for, the want to mother and hatch eggs was bred out of them. They don't have the same instinct that wild birds do, so she isn't going to instinctual want to hatch eggs every year. Some breeds aren't bred as much for eggs, so the want to hatch eggs, (which is called brooding, or a broody hen) is more prominent since they haven't been bred for eggs so much. Bottom line, chickens don't go broody every year 100%. Especially Easter Eggers. EE's are a hybrid breed and are bred, and mixed with other breeds so much that the instinct to brood isn't really there anymore. They don't go broody often, and I have never had an Easter Egger that has gone broody, or wanted to be a mother.

The short answer is, she may never go broody. Chickens aren't bred to hatch chicks, their bred to lay eggs, so the need to brood and reproduce gets almost "diluted" in their instinct. Does that make sense? I hope I can help!

Yes your thread makes 100% sense to me thank you for taking out your time and responding. I had an idea for her since I had her since she was a chick, fed her and gaved her food and water. I went and got a carbord and got leaf all shredded into pieces, filled it up for about 1” and picked up all the eggs from the coop. Brought her inside a habitable space with the eggs inside the carbord and placed food and water, I’ve seen her reaction when feeding her, she did not bother to go check her eggs but did gave me a reaction as in what are you doing? A reaction that was suspicious. I separated her from the rooster and the hens. Hopefully she will get comfortable sleeping near her eggs and if she does not show interest I’ll go ahead and buy an incubator and incubate the eggs.

 

[JuniorEct]

It really all depends on the breed and the individual chicken. Not all hens will brood. How old is she? If she's still a pullet you may want to hold off on letting her set even if she's willing.

What are the consequences if I don’t hold off will she notice and not be interested?

 

[TheAlrightyGina]

Yes your thread makes 100% sense to me thank you for taking out your time and responding. I had an idea for her since I had her since she was a chick, fed her and gaved her food and water. I went and got a carbord and got leaf all shredded into pieces, filled it up for about 1” and picked up all the eggs from the coop. Brought her inside a habitable space with the eggs inside the carbord and placed food and water, I’ve seen her reaction when feeding her, she did not bother to go check her eggs but did gave me a reaction as in what are you doing? A reaction that was suspicious. I separated her from the rooster and the hens. Hopefully she will get comfortable sleeping near her eggs and if she does not show interest I’ll go ahead and buy an incubator and incubate the eggs.

Usually you want to wait until they are a year old to set their eggs, whether in an incubator or if they go broody. I'd at least wait until her eggs are full size. You'll get healthier chicks that way.

I have had an Easter Egger go broody and hatch chicks so I know it's possible, but it's been a while and from what I remember, she was a terrible mother, losing most of her chicks within the first week.

 

[TheAlrightyGina]

What are the consequences if I don’t hold off will she notice and not be interested?

The timing won't really change whether she's interested or not. It's pretty clear when a hen is broody; she will sit on her nest all fluffed out and kinda flat looking and "growl"/perhaps peck you if you try to touch her or get under her to the eggs. It tends to happen more in the Spring but it's impossible to make it happen. You can encourage it by giving your hen a safe and secluded spot for her nest, and not collecting her eggs. However, if she isn't sitting on them after there are several eggs in the nest, she probably isn't going to.

 

[Weeg]

Yes your thread makes 100% sense to me thank you for taking out your time and responding. I had an idea for her since I had her since she was a chick, fed her and gaved her food and water. I went and got a carbord and got leaf all shredded into pieces, filled it up for about 1” and picked up all the eggs from the coop. Brought her inside a habitable space with the eggs inside the carbord and placed food and water, I’ve seen her reaction when feeding her, she did not bother to go check her eggs but did gave me a reaction as in what are you doing? A reaction that was suspicious. I separated her from the rooster and the hens. Hopefully she will get comfortable sleeping near her eggs and if she does not show interest I’ll go ahead and buy an incubator and incubate the eggs.

You can't force her to go broody. How big is the box? She will likely only freak out being away from the flock and try to escape. Its very very unlikely she will suddenly go broody, but the incubator is a good idea.