Brooding age?

[aart]

Do you want them to brood and hatch a batch of chicks for you?
Best to either set them up in a safe place to hatch, if you have or can get some fertile eggs.....or break their broodiness.

 

[electrycmonk]

Do you want them to brood and hatch a batch of chicks for you?
Best to either set them up in a safe place to hatch, if you have or can get some fertile eggs.....or break their broodiness.

I'm waiting for my Better-half to tell me what she wants. As of this afternoon she wasn't sure I was seeing "Broody-ness" fully yet.... So, *IF* she decides she wants to let them go a round with some eggs then, I guess I'll let the Cockerel back in with them for a couple days to make sure they are fertilized & finish preparing the crate inside the coop to be the impromptu nursery for the Silkies. If she decides "not yet" they I'll setup the cold floor method experiment, I guess. I've read like 12+ threads today (a few re-read from earlier in the week).....

(Edit for obvious grammar fix)

 

[kiwi-chick]

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.

I put my hands under their feet when I pick them up from the nest and draw them in close to my body so they balance better.... Their feet grip my hands and fingers like a new born babe!

 

[aart]

I put my hands under their feet when I pick them up from the nest and draw them in close to my body so they balance better

I grab wrap my hands around the whole body holding the wings down.

 

[kiwi-chick]

I used to do that... and still do if I pick them up from anywhere but the nest. From the nest which is on the ground and under the poop board it is easier for me to pick them up using their feet

 

[electrycmonk]

@kiwi-chick & @aart for silkies: depending on the environment, I either do a "two handed" gentle salad tongs style grab around their wings & my fingers normally end up supporting their toes completely, or one hand does something similar to a scoop under her feet and the other hand like a blanket over the wings.
However, the way I put the nesting boxes in this week those two can't work. My arms & hands just can't articulate that far. So I have to use the one hand or the other to encourage her outta the nest to then use one of those methods to lift & carry out or "walk/waddle" to the door and walk down the ramp. It's so funny watching them act all these traits so many folks in here described....

[Edit was mearly adding 2nd half of this as the Android keyboard prematurely posted this reply....]

 

[kiwi-chick]

silkies are smaller - like bantams aren't they?

 

[electrycmonk]

silkies are smaller - like bantams aren't they?

/Sideways glance "Hey fellow night owl" (giggles)


To answer your question, yes and from the few chicks we have they are slightly smaller overall.

 

[kiwi-chick]

/Sideways glance "Hey fellow night owl" (giggles)

*Stage whisper* I'm on the other side of the world to most here..... so yes - you're equivalent of a night owl! *big smile*

 

[electrycmonk]

/Facepalm I 'usually' make it a habit of seeing where someone's profile shows they are from and well.... I totally dropped that ball - even with your gimme of a user ID too!
[Edit to finish this post]

So we have friends from your "neck of the woods". I forgot which big city they live near - no I'm not gonna cheat and go look right now. That's not really relivant imho.

BTW welcome fellow newbie too!