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So I have broody silkies- 5 of them. One has been broody for nearly a month-the last one just started not quite a week ago. It though it would be nice to use them to hatch some eggs I just ordered. It seemed to me it would be easier to give them a separate broody pen and house. We build a little 4 x 10 pen adjoining to big run and attached a broody box ( a 5 x 2 deck storage box which has a hole cut in the side which the chicks lived in when they were little before we got the big coop built).

So now two hours after moving them from the big coop to their new home, they are all in the new pen throwing fits and throwing themselves against the sides of the pen to get back to their nonexistent eggs in the big coop. They have been sitting on nothing for days. I have lots of straw in the broody box and even added a few nonfertile eggs. Will they be likely to settle down and sit on those eggs or did I go about this all wrong? I've got a few wyandottes and astalorps in the big pen and I though chicks would be safer separated? If nobody sets, I can stick the eggs in an incubator when they arrive in a few days but I was hoping for broodies. What do I do now? Let them settle in for a day or two or give up and let them go back to their big coop?
 
jas humbert said:
So I have broody silkies- 5 of them. One has been broody for nearly a month-the last one just started not quite a week ago.  It though it would be nice to use them to hatch some eggs I just ordered.  It seemed to me it would be easier to give them a separate broody pen and house. We build a little 4 x 10 pen adjoining to big run and attached a broody box ( a 5 x 2 deck storage box which has  a hole cut in the side which the chicks lived in when they were little before we got the big coop built).

So now two hours after moving them from the big coop to their new home,  they are all in the new  pen throwing fits and throwing themselves against the sides of the pen to get back to their nonexistent eggs in the big coop.  They have been sitting on nothing for days.  I have lots of straw in the broody box and  even added a few nonfertile eggs.  Will they be likely to settle down and sit on those eggs or did I go about this all wrong?  I've got a few wyandottes and astalorps in the big pen and I though chicks would be safer separated? If nobody sets, I can stick the eggs in an incubator when they arrive in a few days but I was hoping for broodies. What do I do now? Let them settle in for a day or two or give up and let them go back to their big coop?
Click to expand...

Give them some treats and time to settle in. Did you put the eggs in first ? I always separate mine and usually once they lay eyes on the eggs you can't keep them off.
Stick with it a while and remove the ones that are most disruptive.
 
jas humbert said:
So I have broody silkies- 5 of them. One has been broody for nearly a month-the last one just started not quite a week ago. It though it would be nice to use them to hatch some eggs I just ordered. It seemed to me it would be easier to give them a separate broody pen and house. We build a little 4 x 10 pen adjoining to big run and attached a broody box ( a 5 x 2 deck storage box which has a hole cut in the side which the chicks lived in when they were little before we got the big coop built).

So now two hours after moving them from the big coop to their new home, they are all in the new pen throwing fits and throwing themselves against the sides of the pen to get back to their nonexistent eggs in the big coop. They have been sitting on nothing for days. I have lots of straw in the broody box and even added a few nonfertile eggs. Will they be likely to settle down and sit on those eggs or did I go about this all wrong? I've got a few wyandottes and astalorps in the big pen and I though chicks would be safer separated? If nobody sets, I can stick the eggs in an incubator when they arrive in a few days but I was hoping for broodies. What do I do now? Let them settle in for a day or two or give up and let them go back to their big coop?
Click to expand...
Send some broody dust this way! I had a hen go broody a few weeks back and right when one of my project hens started laying and I was getting a steady stream of eggs she just up and quite. And I hate incubating, it tears my nerves up lol.
 
rt said:
So I have broody silkies- 5 of them. One has been broody for nearly a month-the last one just started not quite a week ago. It though it would be nice to use them to hatch some eggs I just ordered. It seemed to me it would be easier to give them a separate broody pen and house. We build a little 4 x 10 pen adjoining to big run and attached a broody box ( a 5 x 2 deck storage box which has a hole cut in the side which the chicks lived in when they were little before we got the big coop built).

So now two hours after moving them from the big coop to their new home, they are all in the new pen throwing fits and throwing themselves against the sides of the pen to get back to their nonexistent eggs in the big coop. They have been sitting on nothing for days. I have lots of straw in the broody box and even added a few nonfertile eggs. Will they be likely to settle down and sit on those eggs or did I go about this all wrong? I've got a few wyandottes and astalorps in the big pen and I though chicks would be safer separated? If nobody sets, I can stick the eggs in an incubator when they arrive in a few days but I was hoping for broodies. What do I do now? Let them settle in for a day or two or give up and let them go back to their big coop?
Click to expand...
Give them some treats and time to settle in. Did you put the eggs in first ? I always separate mine and usually once they lay eyes on the eggs you can't keep them off.
Stick with it a while and remove the ones that are most disruptive.

Thank you, I love the support I get from this forum. I think I got fussed a little too soon. I did put the eggs in first but the girls acted up for two or three hours anyway and then one by one they went in to set on the eggs. I checked a few minutes ago and all but one were setting. The one who hadn't parked herself yet was the least into it of all of them - taking the longest breaks off eggs- even when she was in the big coop so maybe it will break her which is okay. I have more than enough girls for the eggs I have coming. These girls were all raised together from the same hatch and she doesn't want to leave the rest of the girls so I left her there anyway.. We'll see what happens by tomorrow.
 
jas humbert said:
[COLOR=333333]Give them some treats and time to settle in. Did you put the eggs in first ? I always separate mine and usually once they lay eyes on the eggs you can't keep them off.[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]
[/COLOR][COLOR=333333]Stick with it a while and remove the ones that are most disruptive.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=333333]Thank you, I love the support I get from this forum.  I think I got fussed a little too soon. I did put the eggs in first but the girls acted up for two or three hours anyway and  then one by one they went in to set on the eggs. I checked a few minutes ago and all but one were setting.  The one who hadn't parked herself yet was the least into it of all of them - taking the longest breaks off eggs- even when she was in the big coop so maybe it will break her which is okay. I have more than enough girls for the eggs I have coming. These girls were all raised together from the same hatch  and she doesn't want to leave the rest of the girls so I left her there anyway.. We'll see what happens by tomorrow. [/COLOR]
Click to expand...

You are welcome. Good luck with the hatch. :)
 
How often do silkies go broody? And what age do they start? I have one that is about 10 month old and one that is about 7 month old and neither have started laying or gone broody yet.
 

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