Very Early Broody Young Hen (Help needed)

[Chelsea-85]

Hi all,

I have a 16 weeks old white young hen; she has laid 11 eggs since she started laying. This early morning when I wanted to get the new laid egg in the nesting box, she pecked at me many times and seemed really angry and aggressive. Is it possible to such a young hen to go broody so soon? Or she just wanted me not to take the egg? How can I be certain about her behavior?

Btw, after I got the egg out, she came out of the nesting box normally as how she did the other previous days.

 

[Chelsea-85]

Sorry for posting in the wrong forum in the first place

 

[aart]

Sorry for posting in the wrong forum in the first place

It's fine here....Behaviors.

Many bird will peck when taking egg from under them,
even ones who tolerate it will do that on occasion.
A bird that young could go broody, but it's not terribly common

I don't call them broody until I see more than that....here's a few clues:

Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, doesn't 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.


FYI.....semantics, maybe, but can be important communication terms when discussing chicken behavior.
Female chickens are called pullets until one year of age, then they are called hens.
Male chickens are called cockerels until one year of age, then they are called cocks(or cockbirds or roosters).
Age in weeks or months is always a good thing to note.

 

[Chelsea-85]

It's fine here....Behaviors.

Many bird will peck when taking egg from under them,
even ones who tolerate it will do that on occasion.
A bird that young could go broody, but it's not terribly common

I don't call them broody until I see more than that....here's a few clues:

Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, doesn't 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.


FYI.....semantics, maybe, but can be important communication terms when discussing chicken behavior.
Female chickens are called pullets until one year of age, then they are called hens.
Male chickens are called cockerels until one year of age, then they are called cocks(or cockbirds or roosters).
Age in weeks or months is always a good thing to note.

Thank you very much for your reply dear. What I narrated just happened this morning, I have to observe your points from today. Your notes are very useful for me. Thank you again and excuse my terminology which I wrote not in a semantic order.
I just wondered whether it is Ok for a 16 weeks old pullet to go broody so soon.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I haven't had a bird that even laid an egg before 20 weeks but I have had many go broody after laying just a couple weeks.

 

[PouleChick]

My Sussex started laying at 18 weeks and went broody within about 6 weeks of that so a bit older than yours but not by much. She did a great job.

 

[Chelsea-85]

I haven't had a bird that even laid an egg before 20 weeks but I have had many go broody after laying just a couple weeks.

Thank you dear, mine started laying so early. Generally, Kurdish breed start laying early. Good breed we have

 

[Chelsea-85]

My Sussex started laying at 18 weeks and went broody within about 6 weeks of that so a bit older than yours but not by much. She did a great job.

In deed she did a great job I had another one that started laying at age of 18 weeks, but never had one go broody.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Read my post in this thread. It might help.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-could-be-brooding.1286893/

Is it possible a pullet that young could go broody? Yes, when you are dealing with living animals about anything is possible. Is it likely, no. From your description of her behavior after she came off the nest it sounds like she is not broody.

 

[Chelsea-85]

Read my post in this thread. It might help.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-could-be-brooding.1286893/

Is it possible a pullet that young could go broody? Yes, when you are dealing with living animals about anything is possible. Is it likely, no. From your description of her behavior after she came off the nest it sounds like she is not broody.

Thank you for your useful thread. And yes you are right, it seems that she is not since she is acting normally as other previous days.