It all started when I was scrolling through Craigslist one night and I seen an ad ''Chickens for sale'' so I clicked on it and I seen they had silkies,and than I only had a easter egger rooster and some laying hens and I've really wanted some silkies. So we called the number and talked to them and figured out the time to get them and than once we got there it was a nice couple and they had a couple kids around the ages of 10-12. And the lady told me how they free range all day and how she hatched the rooster and how she calls him Poppy. And it was kinda bitter sweet cause the lady teared up because of her chickens leaving but her husband said if they wanted a puppy than she had to sell her chickens. So I got a buff silkie rooster and 2 hens,so we brought them home and I put them in the smaller pen I made from left over wire/wood,well I new it was small but big enough to hold them all with some room to roam about 10 feet. I let them and my other chickens free range,and they didn't fight they actually liked eachother,so I did this about 3 more times than moved the silkies over to the big pen and after a while I noticed the buff silkie ''hen'' was a young rooster than it started fighting with the other silkie rooster so it was time to sell him. I posted him on Craigslist and he was asked for with in 24 hours and he got a great home with 2 other lonley silkie hens. And finally winter wore off and spring had started to sprung,and the silkie hen had been laying eggs for a while since winter in there box I made them,than knowing of the broody nature of the silkie about May I started leaving her eggs in the box and I didn't see her one day and lifted the lid and put my hand down toward her. As I seen and read on the internet she started puffing up and growling at me and I lifted her up and there were 5 of her medium white eggs,
and I was excited as ever,so of course I let her sit the eggs and her silkie rooster
was anxious for her to get off the nest with her babies too. Than finally I came home on the 21st day(excited as I could be),and I lifted the lid on the box and all I seen was one egg,a egg shell,and a dead chick. So I opened the door on the big walk in coop and there she was squatted down and I heard peeping and seen chicks. I ran inside the house literally jumping and running telling everyone in the house and I didn't even relise I was out of breath(I had to take a rest for a second) and than I went back outside and wanted to see how many chicks hatched and when she got up there were 3 beautiful silkie chicks following there mommy
. And I was the happiest person alive watching my first broody with her first brood. I took pictures and told everyone about it and I watched them all day forever. The momma hen was very protective and even stood up against the dominant rooster a little bit if she even thought he was gonna hurt her brood,and are dogs,and any other hens. I loved letting them free range and watching mommy hen show her brood the best dustbathing spots,where the bugs were usually and showing them the ropes of being a chicken. Than toward the end of summer Broody Judy started pecking at her older brood and started to shew them away since they were getting bigger, they grew up and were almost full grown and turned out to be 1 hen and 2 roosters,there was a beautiful white silkie hen(hen on right)
,and a handsome partridge
and buff silkie rooster(not pictured) and they grew up and the brother rooster got into fights to much and I found good homes for both and each one went to one of my good chicken friends and have hens of there own. Than after about a month of being free from the role of being mom she started laying and wanted to be mommy again and went back to her box where she raised her first brood and was broody again. But since it was the end of August and in Ohio it gets cold I didn't want her to have a brood in the cold but I'm sure she would have done a good job and she got over it. Than the winter went by and the spring of 2014 hit and she has took a liking to the new nestbox I gave her in the big coop,cause she was laying in the nest boxes that are about 2 feet up in the coop but her smart mother mind knew her babies had to be low on the ground so one day I started finding her eggs in the bottom nest. I started leaving her eggs once again and she went broody on 2 than I put 3 more beside her and she scooted all 3 under her
but than I got her off to see what all eggs was under her but she didn't go back on.Than she did the same thing again about 4 days ago but the next day was cold so she didn't sit no more. But now there's 2 of her eggs in the nest and she sits on the eggs every night and lays one a day but isn't broody and doesn't poop on the nest. So I'm sure once there is a nice clutch of eggs in the nest she will be on it wanting to be mommy again,and a great mom hen she is! But there is the story of Broody Judy and she is loving her life and her silkie rooster,and I can't wait till she goes broody and I and the rest of the flock gets to experience the life of the mommy hen!
