Brooding Issue

[Rockysmama]

I have a silkie (one of 7 birds of various breeds) who was two when I got her. She didn't lay for about a month after getting her then she laid for three weeks. Then she stopped laying and the brooding started. I'm a new chicken keeper so at first I thought she was sick and didn't do anything but feed her some supplements and made sure she got water and food. After a week I talked with someone and realized she'd pulled the feathers over my eyes. I began getting her up and moving and closed the coop during the day. But now she broods in the yard.

So I've read a couple things about brooding. One is that if a hen has been allowed to brood 4 days it will take 18 days for her to start laying. The other is that if she doesn't get moving you need a brooding cage. After only two days of trying to get her to move around (which she does only for several minutes after I go out and get her up and moving) I have found an egg under her for the last two days, defying the 18 day theory. However, the eggs are brown and the ones she was laying were pinkish, but they are the same size she was laying before. She is eating more than she was, and I now give them cracked corn at night since it's colder--could that change her egg color? Now none of my other hens had started laying yet--they're just 5 months-- but they are all supposed to lay brown eggs. Now I'm wondering if one of them just started laying and it's not the silkie. Only thing is, she is always sitting in the exact same spot all day so it doesn't seem likely that any of my other girls had the opportunity to lay an egg on that exact spot which she then sat on.

Second, I can't find anything like a brooding cage when I look at chicken supply places. Where so you get them, what does it look like?

I'd appreciate any help from those of you who have been through this. thanks!

Judy in Mich.

 

[bubbazmommy]

I do not know much but I haven't heard of a chicken laying two different colors of eggs. Maybe differing shades of the same color. I have had two chickens laying eggs in the same nest at the same time. Could that have happened?? I wish i could help more.

 

[Southernbelle]

Silkies will STEAL eggs!

They will actually roll other hens' eggs across the coop, into the nest and sit on them. I've caught them in the act before and I've heard a lot of other people say the same thing.

Any cage will do for a brooding cage - a rabbit hutch, a dog crate, etc. I'm using my old brooder box (without the heat lamp.) It may not be necessary to seperate them. I did, because my other hens would drag her off the nest to lay their eggs, so she was getting upset.

The key to breaking broodiness is for them to feel cool air on their bums, so I've heard the most successful method is to put them in a wire-bottom cage raised off the ground so the cool air can reach them. With that said, Silkies are broody machines! I have never been able to break one, so I usually just give in and give them eggs.

and good luck!

 

[cluckychick]

I have a frizzle and a silkie presently broody

With the cold coming I have decided not to let them sit on any more. The frizzle has already hatched a batch of chicks this year and the silkie is a newbie. I let her have 1 egg from my other silkie just to check fertility. She's been sitting about 4 weeks now. No end in sight so I might as well let her have at it. lol

 

[nhnanna]

 

[cmom]

She's a broody. Silkies have that reputation.

 

[Rockysmama]

Thanks for all the replies and welcomes everybody. Well I decided to let the silkie go in the coop if she wants during the day since she was just laying around anyway inteh yard. And, I thought if I separated her from the other gals I'd see if she was teh one laying brown eggs or if she was sitting on someone elses eggs. Karen that is hilarious that Silkies steal eggs--what an image you gave!

So this morning she came out to eat the went back in and settled in to her nesting box. No one else was inside. A few hours later we checked and sure enough there was an egg under her, a brown egg. So for some reason her egg color has changed. Has anybody had that happen that the eggs changed color? I've added cracked corn at night and cooked, mixed grain mush in the a.m. since it's gotten cold (the last week) but I can't believe that would change her egg color. But there is no way she could have carried an egg from the yard to the copp and hoisted it to the nesting box to sit on it! Either that or I have a very talented chicken and shouold go on America's Funniest Animal Videos