Will 7 month old chook be a good mother?

[Snadger]

My only Light Sussex female which I hatched on 27th Feb 09 and has been laying continually for six weeks, appears to have gone broody!

I've just purchased six Lavender Aruacana eggs off eBay to put under her but will dig out the incubator as well 'just in case'.

She was the runt of the litter and I think has LS bantam in her somewhere. She was sitting on the nest this afternoon and puffed herself right up and 'growled' at me when I went to stroke her.

The eggs she has been laying aren't much bigger than a Bantam egg hence the reason I think she's part bantam.

Is she too young for motherhood do you reckon?

If she's still sitting tight tomorrow I don't know whether to leave her where she is and find somewhere else for the two Minorca's I have with her, or try and shift her to a broody hut I have 'At the ready' The problem with where she is at is it's 4 foot off the ground and any young chicks would kill themselves getting down.

[Bramble-Poultry]

Oh snadger how great for you.

There is no right or wrong age for motherhood, they are either good mothers or bad, regardless of their age, if she starts off as a good mother at this age you are set for life.

Nip to the shop and get a few fake eggs or sacrafice a few of your own, move her to the coop and put some eggs with her, if she sits tight pop your eggs under her

The only thing I will say is if it goes cold in the next couple of weeks she may well get off the nest.

[Snadger]

.....................The only thing I will say is if it goes cold in the next couple of weeks she may well get off the nest.

My broody coop is at present in the ISA's pen. There is enough room in the ISA's coop (a large hut) to put the broody coop inside. The hut has two large windows so she could still get light if she wanted to...............inside or out...wadya reckon?

[Bramble-Poultry]

worth a try - have you got an incy just incase - eggs are better under a broody if you can do it.

[Snadger]

worth a try - have you got an incy just incase - eggs are better under a broody if you can do it.

Yep.........got an inccy.....when I can find it! Ah well.......here we go again!

[MaureenHall]

ooooooooooo fingers crossed for you (again!!! ) and your broody. It must be a brilliant feeling to have hatched out a chick and nurture it right through to motherhood (or fatherhood)

[bluemoon]

One of ours, born a week after yours has just gone broody. I'm thinking of taking our grandson to the local children's farm tomorrow and seeing if they have some fertile eggs.

[RichmondHens]

My young girls (hatched last year) made good mums early this year. They were probably about 8 months at the time. Sussexes are generally pretty good at going the distance so I would say go for it, but certainly move her to her own coop and get her settled before starting her off on your e bay eggs. Good luck!

[walldanzig]

I have two light sussex bantams that went broody this year and placed eggs under both of them they both sat the term and made great mothers. It's funny they let you know when it is time to move the babies on as well. Out of interest whats the average age for chickens to start laying

[RichmondHens]

Early Spring hatched chicks may start at 6 months, so if you hatch in March, they should be POL now. At this time of year though, the weather/light levels will start making a difference so you may find they don't come into lay till the New Year, or they may start up for a few weeks, then stop through December, then start again. Chicks hatched now will come into lay in March or thereabouts. Anything over and above 18 weeks can be classed as POL, but closer to 26 weeks is more realistic.

[Snadger]

Well,the good news is she's still sitting folks, and I put an extra couple of eggs under her to keep her there!

Luckily there is no bad news!

After much deliberation and concoction of different scenarios in my minds eye, I've decided to leave well alone and let her sit in the nestbox she's always layed in.
The pophole is still open to the small coop she's in so my two Minorca's can theoretically get in to roost on an evening................as long as she lets them in!
I've built a makeshift coop below hers in case she boots them out.

Luckily I've got a week off work next week so should be able to finish building the Minorca's winter quarters in a coop, in a shed, with a 10X8 greenhouse for a run. I intend making a small run outdoors linked to the greenhouse side so that on warm winter days (if we have any) they can go outside.

I also need to build a makeshift elevated run for the chicks WITHOUT making a noise and upsetting mother hen. Everything will have to be prefabricated and screwed together rather than nailed.

Plenty to keep me occupied for my weeks holiday!