any ideas you can give me?

hello everyone, I am new to raising silkies. I am wondering if you can shed any light on this. one of my silkies, a girl I think, she's around 4 months old is acting different than usual. she is like laying down, squatting, not sure what to call it all the time by herself. she mainly stays by the waterer. I don't see any of the others picking on her. my coop is set up so the silkies go into an open pen at night and they all huddle together. last night she is was sitting out so I put her in the pen and she pushed her way to the back of the huddle.oh and her face was all wet like she dunked it in the waterer. any clues I should be looking for? I have 18 month old leghorns so I'm not a total newbie, just with silkies. thank you

I have had Silkies a lil over a year. It sounds like your Silkie is perhaps trying to go broody. Silkies are known for going broody frequently.

Normally, I have found that all of a sudden one of my girl silkies will find a spot and lay there all day. That spot can be anywhere--even by a water bowl. Sometimes they will find a corner in the coop I have in the barn stall (I keep them inside the stall during bad weather otherwise leave stall door open for them to free range in the a big fenced area). Check to see if under her, there are any eggs. If you don't want a new batch of hatchlings, make sure to remove the eggs under her every day. You will know also because a broody gal might puff up when you check under her and make a squawk cuz she wants back down to sit on her eggs.

Currently I have a silly gal who has for the last 15 days been sitting, and the first week when I realized my child is broody, I removed the eggs then she quit laying eventually (I think nature has it so they lay for only so long otherwise the hatch would not all happen close together) but somehow this silly Silkie has not figured out that there are no eggs under her. It's a hormone thing, so often times I try and change their way of thinking (although they can be very stubborn when hormonal) and I will pick them up and take them outside where there is light.

Maybe put her by a treat to get her mind on other things than being a mother.

Now with that said, pick her up and do an inspection. Do you see any injuries. Check her feet--especially the bottom--do you see any bumps (looking for bumble foot). But if all looks well, she just wants to be a mom.

Let me know how it goes!!! Wishing you the best!

my girls haven't started laying yet. could this be a sign she might start soon? I have checked her all over but can't find anything. I have her in a pen by herself and put nurtri drench in the water and gave her a mix of yogurt scrambled egg and oatmeal. tonight i gave her a handful of pellets and she ate right away. I hope she's better tomorrow.

getreal said:

hello everyone, I am new to raising silkies. I am wondering if you can shed any light on this. one of my silkies, a girl I think, she's around 4 months old is acting different than usual. she is like laying down, squatting, not sure what to call it all the time by herself. she mainly stays by the waterer. I don't see any of the others picking on her. my coop is set up so the silkies go into an open pen at night and they all huddle together. last night she is was sitting out so I put her in the pen and she pushed her way to the back of the huddle.oh and her face was all wet like she dunked it in the waterer. any clues I should be looking for? I have 18 month old leghorns so I'm not a total newbie, just with silkies. thank you

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thanks for the help IrelandEyes unfortunately my lil girl dies during the night. I still have no idea what was wrong. live and learn I guess...

I'm soooooo sorry to hear she has died. I once a chicken friend who had a chicken go broody and she was a little too dedicated and sat all the time, not eating or drinking. She died. I have read on this loop that people sometimes separate the gal and her eggs and put food and water right next to her.

Now keep an eye on others if they start acting like your gal separate from flock just in case it is not broody and contagious.

Again so sorry for your loss!