Should I let my broody 23 wk old pullet sit on a clutch????

[PrimroseMom1]

My BLCM pullet is broody. She is only 23 weeks old, and started laying last month. I'd love to give her some eggs to hatch out. Has anyone ever had a broody pullet that they let sit on eggs?? And if yes, how did she do ??
It is day 2 for her. I was going to put her in a broody pen tomorrow after dark. I figure if she remains happily siting on the golf balls once I move her, then I'll let her try hatching some real eggs.

Thoughts?

The best fun I ever had was when I put fertilized eggs under my broody. She did everything by the book. It was so much fun when they hatched, then watching her take care of them, teach them. Then when they were old enough they were on their own but a couple tried sleeping under her for a while. Mine truly sat on those eggs. I worried she wouldn’t eat and drink. Your broody has to be willing to stay on the eggs. If her interest wanes they won’t hatch.

 

[CrazyCochin]

I have had my BW pullet go broody, she has been a great mother, raised up a few ducks! And treated them as if they were her own chicks! A few were storebought ducklings and she hatched out one!

 

[Foxinthehenhouse]

I have a hen that got broody at a very young age and I stuck some eggs under her in one of the nesting boxes and she hatched them. She has done this for me four times now. I also have stuck chicks from TS under her when she’s just hatched other chicks. She is a super mom! I’ve never removed her from the coop, she takes her chicks out with the other hens.

 

[ariri30]

My little ticking bomb is officially broody for the third time. I’m going to let her be and see what happens. I hope she’ll be fine with the cold because I’m not going to move her from the coop and run

 

[Rysktal]

I havent read all of the comments but the thing that would stop me from letting anyone brood right now is the weather. My experience says it's too cold for chicks and even if they hatched, their survival rate might not be great. If its warm where the OP is, then why not try to hatch some chicks? A new pullet might be a poor mother but she might not be either!

 

[Nksg75]

Well, just my expierence this summer with about 12 broody pullets sitting at different times throughout the summer:
Out of 12 broodies that all sat on minimum of 4 eggs each I only have 1 live chick.
It was a crazy summer to say the least!
Most of them ended up crushing the chicks after hatch, I had 1 psycho killing pullet, and I figured out what was happening when the eggs would just dissapear, then the last egg hatched and I witnessed her brutally attacking this chick. I did everything I could to save it’s life, however the psycho pullet had already scalped this baby so badly it didn’t make it.
The one and only chick still alive was a single egg left after psycho pullet. I gave the egg to a expierenced hen who had just turned broody.
I had only 3 broody breaker cages available, so I had to pick and choose who I put in there.
I learned a hard lesson. I will not allow new girls to sit on a clutch of eggs again.

 

[Fowel Frenzy]

My BLCM pullet is broody. She is only 23 weeks old, and started laying last month. I'd love to give her some eggs to hatch out. Has anyone ever had a broody pullet that they let sit on eggs?? And if yes, how did she do ??
It is day 2 for her. I was going to put her in a broody pen tomorrow after dark. I figure if she remains happily siting on the golf balls once I move her, then I'll let her try hatching some real eggs.

Thoughts?

mother than a couple eggs, what do you really have to loose?

 

[Cinnamon Roll]

Well, just my expierence this summer with about 12 broody pullets sitting at different times throughout the summer:
Out of 12 broodies that all sat on minimum of 4 eggs each I only have 1 live chick.
It was a crazy summer to say the least!
Most of them ended up crushing the chicks after hatch, I had 1 psycho killing pullet, and I figured out what was happening when the eggs would just dissapear, then the last egg hatched and I witnessed her brutally attacking this chick. I did everything I could to save it’s life, however the psycho pullet had already scalped this baby so badly it didn’t make it.
The one and only chick still alive was a single egg left after psycho pullet. I gave the egg to a expierenced hen who had just turned broody.
I had only 3 broody breaker cages available, so I had to pick and choose who I put in there.
I learned a hard lesson. I will not allow new girls to sit on a clutch of eggs again.

Yikes! That sounds awful, I’m sorry that happened!

I don’t think your experience is common though. My mom’s Pullet was a fantastic mama hen and her chicks did fine. I had 3 first time adult broodies this summer and they all did pretty well. One chick was injured from hens fighting over it but it recovered (I learned to separate the new mamas from each other!). OP won’t have that problem since there’s only one broody.

 

[Chicklawyer]

My BLCM pullet is broody. She is only 23 weeks old, and started laying last month. I'd love to give her some eggs to hatch out. Has anyone ever had a broody pullet that they let sit on eggs?? And if yes, how did she do ??
It is day 2 for her. I was going to put her in a broody pen tomorrow after dark. I figure if she remains happily siting on the golf balls once I move her, then I'll let her try hatching some real eggs.

Thoughts?

I had this happen to me when my Blue Ameraucana went broody on my at 24 weeks (it was November in northern Ohio - cold temps). After 2 failed attempts to break her, I gave up and decided to give her 6 eggs to sit on, hoping for maybe a couple of chicks out of the small clutch. All 6 eggs happened to be fertilized (I had an Orpington cockeral at the time) and she diligently hatched all six eggs! The Ameraucana was a fantastic mama and she raised all 6, watching over them all fiercely until they were about 10-12 weeks old.

 

[CrazyCochin]

I had this happen to me when my Blue Ameraucana went broody on my at 24 weeks (it was November in northern Ohio - cold temps). After 2 failed attempts to break her, I gave up and decided to give her 6 eggs to sit on, hoping for maybe a couple of chicks out of the small clutch. All 6 eggs happened to be fertilized (I had an Orpington cockeral at the time) and she diligently hatched all six eggs! The Ameraucana was a fantastic mama and she raised all 6, watching over them all fiercely until they were about 10-12 weeks old.

Are they mixes, because we never get mixes like that!?