First time hatching with a broody silkie. Advice please!

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vegegirl

vegegirl

Hatching
Apr 27, 2015
3
0
7
This is my first time hatching eggs with my broody silkie Middy. I got 6 fertilized bantam eggs and put them under her last night. She seemed very happy this morning running at top speed to do her business, eat and drink and is now back on the eggs. We have a small coop that is raised from the ground about 2.5 ft and has a little ramp going down into the pen. She is in one of the two nesting boxes right now. After the babies hatch do I need to keep the door to the coop closed so the babies don't fall out or will she take care of them? Will plan on putting food and water in the coop for them but didn't know how long she would be happy confined to the coop. Plus my other silkie Stormie goes in and out to lay. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks!
 
Is there any you can exclude Stormie from Middy's nest? She may want to lay in that nest and two hens in the same nest may inadvertently crack the eggs. Once the chicks hatch, I would keep them locked in the coop until they are at least 1 week old. The chicks will fall out into the run (even at one week of age) and may need help learning how to use the ramp. Good luck with the incubation.
 
Thank you so much Sourland for the advice. I can't keep Stormie separate but she had been doing just fine while her sister sits on the eggs. This morning when we went to let out the girls Middie was already off her eggs begging to go out. Worried me since the eggs were cool. She ran around only for a few minutes then went back and got on her eggs. Hoping she wasn't off them for too long.
 
My two older blue, broody silkies do very well with their chicks and they are among the others running around as well. My hens keep a pretty good eye on their babies and they stay right under momma and she even takes them outside the house into the run that we have. I have never had any get loose through the chicken wire even though they could, they haven't. But on the other hand, I have had both hens hatch eggs and the dominant one has stolen the others chicks and not let her have them back before.

Good luck with your hatch! :)
 
I am happy to say we have 4 little chicks from the six eggs and they seem to be doing well. Both mothers share the job of taking care of the babies. We are a week from hatching, so far so good!
 

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