When will my Silkie go broody? (also, other silkie Qs)

[wullus]

I've had my three silkies about a month now, two hens and a (young, still not old enough to crow) roo. The two hens, I'm pretty sure are pullets, and one has just started laying eggs: so far she's layed four small white eggs.

The other one doesn't seem to lay eggs, and I'm starting to think that she may think she is mothering the roo, if that's even possible. She seems to make the "cluck.. cluck.. cluck" sound when I let them out to free-range, and the little roo will usually run over to see what's there. She's also the one that will watch everything that happens in the yard when the other two are foraging. I'm fairly sure the two hens are around the same age.

I bought these so that I can breed them (obviously I'll have to wait a few months for the roo to be able to fertilize her eggs), but I'm just wondering, how long will it take before this hen goes broody? I've been leaving her unfertilized eggs in the nest in hopes that it will encourage her, and then I'll swap them for some other fertile ones we have. It's currently the middle of winter here in Australia, but it actually feels sorta like spring thru the day (except for the nights, its freezing).

Also, when the rooster matures, will he take over the "dominant" duties from the other hen?

Thanks!

 

[wullus]

anyone out there?? :/

 

[Christie Loves Silkies]

Heya I'm also from Australia
When a silkie goes broody its a hormonal thing, my Silkie girls go broody when they lay about 12 eggs or so, it depends on the bird.

How old is the young cockerel?

 

[wullus]

Heya!

Ah okay. So does she usually go broody every 12 eggs she lays (on average)? Cause I've read on here of silkies that go broody two weeks after they've just finished raising some of their young haha. I keep my three silkie's seperate from my parent's chickens, so that they don't crossbreed.

The cockeral I'm guessing is anywhere between 2-5 months of age. I actually forgot to ask the store owner how old these birds were :3 he doesn't crow yet, and when I pick him up (after a bitter escape) he doesn't make the deep, whimpering noises that my parent's small one does, which was born sometime in March...

Here's a picture comparison, the roo is the one in the middle: (sorry it's so dodgy, best photo I could get for comparison from the other day)

 

[Christie Loves Silkies]

Silkie cockerels start crowing from 3 months to 8 months old.
Normally on average my girls will lay up to 12 eggs, but it's is between a few days to a week til they actually go broody.
Your other hen may not be ready to lay but she could be close to it.

The cockerel looks like my 17 week old boy who I hatched out in March, he is around the same size.

 

[wullus]

Oh okay, so do they cockerels take a while before they grow up to be the same size as the pullet in the picture? And is yours crowing yet?

Do they go broody on unfertilized eggs? Haha

So many questions... Thanks

 

[Christie Loves Silkies]

The girl in my photo (Lucky) was about 3 months old in that photo I lost her a few months ago
Yes they can go broody on unfertilized eggs, but if the eggs are sat on for too long they can go really bad.
But if you have other fertile eggs you can replace the not fertilized eggs, or the fun task of breaking them out of being broody.

Heres a few pictures of my cockerel to compare with 34 pullets I hatch out at the same time as him just to show size difference

Pullet on the left cockerel on the right

 

[wullus]

Aww sorry to hear that's sad.

I have eggs that I've been artificially incubating since the 1st... if she goes broody between now and the 18th (lockdown), will she take them and raise them, even if they hatch so early??

Also... are they very violent "protectors" of their nest when they are broody (I mean silkies, specifically)?

Thanks

 

[Christie Loves Silkies]

Some of my girls hiss and peck at me.
They are protective mums two of my hens get really jealous when they are broody.
Normally placing other eggs under a broody for any hen( or breed) happens at night as it's less stressful for them

 

[wullus]

Ah yeah, haha I thought that because they are so friendly and docile that they wouldn't for some reason... but meh.

Mine are epically scared of me. They are starting to get a little better, but whenever I am two metres away from them, they'll start scurrying in the opposite direction.