My Broody Silkies are killing me!

[jBabychickn]

I love my Silkies; I really do, but this tendency to go broody every chance they can get is making me lose my mind! First of all, it breaks me heart to break them out of it, having to put them in their “broody jail” is the only effective way I’ve found. It takes 2days when I’m lucky, up to 5-7days when I’m not. I’m starting to really hate doing it. I feel like such a mean Mom. Perhaps its because I’m always having to do it…

I have 5 Silkies total. (Well, I have 3 Silkies and 2 Silked Easter Eggers) I get a rare break in between cycles of them going through it at different times, as soon as one breaks there will be another going into broodiness, etc.
However, there was a time last year where I had 3 broody at the same time!!!

- It’s not possible for me to let anyone hatch out any babies at this time, so there goes that.

- Could I possibly let them ride out their broodiness and “take a break” from breaking them? — It’s just that I’ve always read that it’s bad for them to sit all day for no good reason.

I’ll admit I have a broody right now that I’ve been lazy with and haven’t put her in jail time. (When I break them, I put them in jail all day then they roost with their sisters all night like usual) So… She’s been in on her nest, but I’ve been going out as little as 3 times daily and as many as 8 times daily to remove her.
She will spend anywhere from 10min to 30min running around the chicken yard, eating and drinking, and of course puffing-up and squawking at her sisters if they even look at her.
Then, after everyone has laid for the day I close the nesting area, this really angers her, so she paces in front of it in between periods of going off and playing around in the chicken yard.
And then, of course night time is as usual, she will roost with her sisters.

I don't know if this is an actual method, or if I’m just torturing her more than with the jail time technique? I really don’t know.
I’m feeling quite sad over this and feeling like such a mean bully towards my babies. I don’t like this AT ALL — And, to know that it isn’t over??
I’m gonna need to do it again to another one of my beloved Silkies here soon, whenever their broodiness kicks in. And then, again and again.. just like I’ve been doing since they were about 4-6mos. out from first laying eggs.

Am I providing a happy life for them? Really?

Any shared experiences or advice? I’d love to hear from you …

 

[sourland]

I've had silkie hens set, brood, and raise as many as 5 sets of chicks in a season. The problem with not breaking them is that some will become debilitated from not eating. Also hens setting for long periods of time can develop dangerous mite infestations. Chronic broodiness is just the nature of the beast.

 

[blutenstaub]

I've been wondering the same thing about my silkie fancy girl. I kind of feel like she's only weakly broody. She'll puff up if I go at her while she's on the nest, but she's not incredibly defensive. I can very easily steal an egg from under her or kick her off the nest. (It's been 4 days since she's last laid, she sits lets her sister lay in the box with her and then steals the egg.) Once she's off the nest, she immediately drinks water and starts scratching around, and I only kick her off the nest if her crop is empty, just in case she is actually trying to lay.

How do I tell if she's sitting on the nest from being broody vs trying to lay, by the way?

Her first day on the nest all day I thought she was feeling sick, since the night before we had some crazy cold wind blowing through, so it was a sudden weather change. I scrambled her up her most recent egg with some oregano, etc and chicken broth, which she ate a bit of. How do I tell the difference between sitting on the nest from feeling a little sick vs broody?

 

[rosemarythyme]

How do I tell if she's sitting on the nest from being broody vs trying to lay, by the way?

Does she stay in the nest overnight, if you allow her? Has she been laying at all? If she isn't laying and wants to stay in the nest overnight when she normally wouldn't, then she's probably broody, even if not completely dedicated. Broodiness isn't always a clear yes/no state.

 

[blutenstaub]

Well, she's been sleeping on the floor near the roost the whole time I've had her (three months), which is also where both the ladies lay. She never really was interested in roosting on the branch with her big sister, and before I got her she was broody for "months straight." Maybe that put her in the habit of sleeping in the nesting area? She also doesn't seem to like to jump up onto/over things more than about 6" high.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Well, she's been sleeping on the floor near the roost the whole time I've had her (three months), which is also where both the ladies lay. She never really was interested in roosting on the branch with her big sister, and before I got her she was broody for "months straight." Maybe that put her in the habit of sleeping in the nesting area? She also doesn't seem to like to jump up onto/over things more than about 6" high.

Pretty typical of Silkies to choose to spend the night on the floor. So it might be a little hard to determine if this one is actually broody or not. From your description so far I'd guess she's thinking about it, but not committed yet, which if that's the case you don't really need to do anything.

Does she otherwise act normal (as far as you can tell from your 3 months with her) as far as eating, drinking, moving around?

 

[blutenstaub]

Yeah, when I kick her off the nest she runs over to the water, drinks, and scratches around eating for a while. Does a little preening. Then sneaks back into the coop... that's the only new behavior I'm noticing.

She does have a little weird head shake thing she does that I don't see with the other chickens. Like, scratches her head, then kind of slides her head to the side she just scratched a few times. Glitchy little alien robot.... Seems like it might be like resetting her balance/focus or something? She's been doing that the whole time I've had her though.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Keep an eye on the balance issue. If it doesn't worsen it might not be a problem, but if it does get worse then it could be a neurological problem or wry neck.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Just to share my experience, my 2 Silkies are also almost always broody. I let them ride if out ONLY because they do a good job of taking care of themselves. They eat, drink, dust bathe, and maintain their weight.

 

[GLOMAH]

I love my Silkies; I really do, but this tendency to go broody every chance they can get is making me lose my mind! First of all, it breaks me heart to break them out of it, having to put them in their “broody jail” is the only effective way I’ve found. It takes 2days when I’m lucky, up to 5-7days when I’m not. I’m starting to really hate doing it. I feel like such a mean Mom. Perhaps its because I’m always having to do it…

I have 5 Silkies total. (Well, I have 3 Silkies and 2 Silked Easter Eggers) I get a rare break in between cycles of them going through it at different times, as soon as one breaks there will be another going into broodiness, etc.
However, there was a time last year where I had 3 broody at the same time!!!

- It’s not possible for me to let anyone hatch out any babies at this time, so there goes that.

- Could I possibly let them ride out their broodiness and “take a break” from breaking them? — It’s just that I’ve always read that it’s bad for them to sit all day for no good reason.

I’ll admit I have a broody right now that I’ve been lazy with and haven’t put her in jail time. (When I break them, I put them in jail all day then they roost with their sisters all night like usual) So… She’s been in on her nest, but I’ve been going out as little as 3 times daily and as many as 8 times daily to remove her.
She will spend anywhere from 10min to 30min running around the chicken yard, eating and drinking, and of course puffing-up and squawking at her sisters if they even look at her.
Then, after everyone has laid for the day I close the nesting area, this really angers her, so she paces in front of it in between periods of going off and playing around in the chicken yard.
And then, of course night time is as usual, she will roost with her sisters.

I don't know if this is an actual method, or if I’m just torturing her more than with the jail time technique? I really don’t know.
I’m feeling quite sad over this and feeling like such a mean bully towards my babies. I don’t like this AT ALL — And, to know that it isn’t over??
I’m gonna need to do it again to another one of my beloved Silkies here soon, whenever their broodiness kicks in. And then, again and again.. just like I’ve been doing since they were about 4-6mos. out from first laying eggs.

Am I providing a happy life for them? Really?

Any shared experiences or advice? I’d love to hear from you …

Have you tried bathing her to lower her body temp to break the broody cycle? It works, but consider the temp outside or in the pen so as to not chill /stress her.