My first broody!

[liljenjennc]

I have 11 hens who are all about 7 months old and laying. And now one of my girls has gone broody! My questions are 1. Is it too late in the year to let her raise a few chicks? 2. Do I need to separate them into a different area if she does?

Other info: I'm not sure of her breed- she came from the red pullet bin at tractor supply. She doesnt look like any golden commet or red sexlink photo I've seen but she looks like a New Hampshire to me. I have only ladies so I'd need to purchase some fertilized eggs (which is totally fine by me

Thanks so much for any help!

 

[Pyxis]

It's not too late to let her raise chicks! I have had hens in the snow with babies and they do just fine. Chicks are surprisingly resilient and mother hens know just what to do, so it works. As for whether you want to separate them, that decision is up to you. There's a section about that in this article, which you might want to check out because it answers a lot of other questions you may have too!

 

[liljenjennc]

Thank you so much for your helpful response! Your answer about the timing was my main one!! And since I'm about to do a huge coop ecpa sion I could've totally made her a separate area!! That article answered other questions I didnt even know I had! There are two other breeds I would like to add to my flock so I think I'm gonna try to find some of those fertilized eggs! Yay! You've made my day!