29 days ago I got my first silkie hen to go broody. Of course my call ducks had quit laying but I had some other ducks that were laying a few eggs. So I grabbed two eggs that were just laid out of the pen next to this chicken and put them under her. I really was not expecting them to develop as the first week we were in the deep freeze with temps going down to -15. This broody was sitting on the eggs in an unheated - uninsulated shed. But after week 1, I candled the eggs and they were good. So then I grabbed a couple chicken eggs and placed them under her as well. Week two - the temps moderated and everything was going good. Well after week 3 for the duck eggs and week 2 for the chicken eggs extreme cold set in again down to -33 outside but all was well until one evening I came into the coop and this broody was on the wrong nest - I had a nest of golf balls next to hers and she was on those. I felt the eggs and they were cold, but I picked her up and put her back on the eggs and she just sat right on them. A few days later. I candled the eggs and both duck eggs were fine and so was one chicken egg. One chicken egg did quit during that cooling period. The remaining chicken egg hatched two days early but completely disappeared - I can only assume the other chickens ate it. After that, I moved the broody and two duck eggs into their own pen inside where they hatched a day later!
Here they are with their mom! One looks to be a magpieXsweedish while the other is a crested buff:
Here they are with their mom! One looks to be a magpieXsweedish while the other is a crested buff:
