Brooding age?

[electrycmonk]

Is she unusually loud and puffed up when you move her? That's a broody thing.

It's normal for silkies to sleep on the ground. Just don't let them sleep in their nest boxes, because they'll get poopy. A broody hen won't poop in her nest (unless she has an accident), so that's another way to tell. Personally I don't let my silkies sleep on the ground, because I had a bad experience where one silkie was sleeping against the door and something (I think) tried to pull her out through it in the middle of the night. I started putting them on the roosts, and they got used to it.

Do you have a rooster, so your eggs are fertile?

Well let's see, she is puffed up a pit more but, I think it's a winter thing as parallel to the other silkies.
She is actually a 'talker' anyways so I'm not seeing her loudness raised or longer sentences. Because I'm super gentle with them and chortle/talk to them all and slow to adjust them they all don't "complain" if at all.

I'm trying to get them to sleep differently but, this is good to know I can 'put them on the rails' and see if they °take to it° eventually?

Right now they have a giant dog crate for nights & a cute coop/run they go outside to during the days.

Yes we have a silkie too.... Erm, cockerel as he & the white pullet are only about 8-9months old now. The Black and sizzle are officially a year old now. Soo....(shrugs) and the cockerel silkie is kinda in timeout for a while. Giving the girls a break from him. Letting one of them grow her saddle feather back.

 

[aart]

These are my go-to signs of a broody:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

 

[MIHomestead4]

Did you take any pictures?

 

[Rooapalooza]

View attachment 1993164 View attachment 1993165

Awww what cuties! Congrats!

 

[electrycmonk]

Well, as an update & sorta answer @aart questions...

She does stay fluffed out and does squack a wee bit more but, now the white pullet is copying the black silkie hen in the other nesting box.....
She does stay out for a short bit to grab a bite or two and a drink then,yes she makes a bee-line for the nest. And seems to stay there for hours & hours.... Even when I bring them treats I have to litterally tap them both on the beak with the spinach stem, banana, etal to get them to come get the treats. Then - waddle/zoom back to the nests.....
Discovered that "Tina" the sizzle really, really enjoys bananas! That is what got the white silkie from the nest yesterday & eventually that gave the black silkie the "hey maybe I should too" follow up arrival for some banana.

 

[aart]

And seems to stay there for hours & hours

Is she on nest all night instead of sleeping on a roost(if roosting is her 'normal')?
Do you want them to be broody?

 

[electrycmonk]

That’s about the age my 2 hens were when they started. They are constantly brooding, last year I even got one of them two chicks because she would not stop. I told them both they are not getting any more babies!

(Giggles aloud) Good luck with that monologue for the girls.

 

[electrycmonk]

Is she on nest all night instead of sleeping on a roost(if roosting is her 'normal')?
Do you want them to be broody?

They have always found a corner to huddle up together and sleep either on the lower level or upper level "mini coop" ..... Or when in the huge dog crate in the coop they would normally huddle in the back corner away from the door/gate. (Shrugs).

I have started to to sit them all 3 on a roosting rails.... And I'll keep doing it every night....

 

[kiwi-chick]

I turf mine off the nest once or twice a day to make sure they eat and get some exercise. I noticed that when I do - they sit right where they land untill I give them some reason to move

Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?

this is sooooo the sound that mine make, which is different to their normal sounds.

 

[electrycmonk]

I turf mine off the nest once or twice a day to make sure they eat and get some exercise. I noticed that when I do - they sit right where they land untill I give them some reason to move

this is sooooo the sound that mine make, which is different to their normal sounds.

Well both girls have upped their Brooding he a couple notches.....

The growls and 'porcupine-like feather inflation' when I started to gently extract them from the nests. The white one at ~9 months is a bit more compliant and would get the idea & waited, squatting next to the gate as I reached for the black silkie. Her co-hort however really played it up. As soon as she was about an inch off the eggs she was in full wing flapping mode at about 78rpms (audiophile reference) and to add to this she used one foot to try to grab the side of the nest as she was gliding over it.

Once on the floor of the crate squatting next to the white silkie they both started to swauk in what I can only compare to snidley-whiplash grumbling! I was laughing and trying to talk to them to calm down....once they were cradled in my arm & headed out to the outside they both just lowered to a full mumbling.

The 2nd time I ejected them they had snuck back into the nest in like 3-4 minutes..... So I ejected them again.....

While outside today I ejected both from the nests 4-5 different times. Each a repeat performance: hunker down further, growl & both chose the single 'peck at my wrist' on the last one this afternoon.....once at the doorway/ramp the white one was just standing and I would (from under & behind) lift up each foot and move it slightly down the ramp. She would get to the 2nd cross bar and decide to just jump down to the ground. The other girl would get the hint about the 1st cross bar and just semi-hop-walk most the way down then jump...... All the while doing that "under their breathe grumbling."

They each dropped an egg today. So as a curious experiment I put two faux ceramic eggs up in the flat area in front of the nests to see what they do. Will check on them later tonight.