Is my 6 month old Araucana hen too young to hatch out eggs?

[AussieSuze]

I have an araucana hen that has gone broody. She is only 6 months old. Is that too young to allow her to hatch out a clutch of eggs. We have had other chickens go broody and hatch eggs, so that’s not the problem. We just aren’t sure if we should let her. We have been trying to dissuade her of her broodiness over the last few days, but she seems quite determined. What are your thoughts?

 

[DobieLover]

What are your thoughts?

I would give her a handful of eggs and let her try. The only way you know if a bird is going to be a good mother or not is to let her try.
I let lots of birds hatch eggs here. One of the best mothers was the only pullet that I let set. But she was about 10 months old not 6.

 

[AussieSuze]

I would give her a handful of eggs and let her try. The only way you know if a hen is going to be a good mother or not is to let her try.

I guess I’m not so worried about her being a good mother or not. We have all the equipment etc to take over if needed. It’s more that I’m worried about the toll it will take on such a young (and probably not quite full grown) chicken.
Would putting a small water and feeder right next to the nest be enough so that she doesn’t drop too much weight?

 

[DobieLover]

Would putting a small water and feeder right next to the nest be enough so that she doesn’t drop too much weight?

I never do that. I have a built-in maternity ward in my coop where I let hens set. The door stays open so she can leave whenever she wants and the flock visits her when they want. But I do manage her broody break in that when I come out in the morning to take care of the flock I remove her from her nest to examine the eggs and make sure no new eggs have been laid in her nest and put her outside. Then I go and release the rest of the flock, fill up the feeders and clean the coop. During that time I watch her as she frantically runs to get something to eat, maybe takes a dust bath and hops up on a branch to preen for a bit.
I stick around to make sure she makes her way back to her nest.

I have on occasion had trouble with previously broody hens harassing her in which case I will close the door to her area once she's finished taking care of herself.

One thing I always do is have a bottle of water in the maternity ward for her that hangs over the nest. It's got a vertical poultry nipple on it so she always has something to drink.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I guess I’m not so worried about her being a good mother or not. We have all the equipment etc to take over if needed. It’s more that I’m worried about the toll it will take on such a young (and probably not quite full grown) chicken.
Would putting a small water and feeder right next to the nest be enough so that she doesn’t drop too much weight?

If you want her to hatch I'd let her try. Whenever one goes broody, whether a young pullet or an old hen, she is acting on instincts. Either she has the right instincts or she doesn't.

Before she even started laying eggs she put on a reserve of fat. I've butchered enough pullets, hens, cockerels, and roosters to see the difference. That fat reserve is mostly what she lives on while broody. That's nature's way of letting her stay on the nest and take care of the eggs instead of needing to be off looking for food and water. It is normal and natural for her to lose weight while broody and on the nest. It does not hurt her, she is just using fat put there for that purpose.

Personally I do not put food or water near the nest. I don't want to risk the water spilling and soaking the nest or the food attracting vermin. Many people do that, you can if you wish. I just do not find it necessary.