Broody Chicken Question that I can't find the answer to...

[SAKim]

I know there are tons of threads on Broody Chickens but I just can't find what I am looking for.

I have two Pet Silkie hens that were born in May of last year. They both have gone broody for the first time.

I am not interested in "breaking" their broodiness if it involves hanging them in a wire cage.

There is no rooster and for the last three days they have been in the same nesting box sitting on a little pop light. They seem to like taking care of their little pop light and move it around and stuff. It is kind of sweet but kind of sad.

Here are my questions that I hope someone with alot more experience than me might answer.

(1) Is it OK to let them continue to sit on their little pop light?
(2) Of course, it is never going to hatch, will they just sit on it forever?
(3) Would it be better to just take the pop light away? I did take it away once and they seemed frantic. They sat on air for a while then I noticed they knocked the coop cam down and were sitting on it, so I gave them their pop light back.

I do take them off their nest several times a day and force them to run around the yard and eat or they come on the house and run around but they are anxious to get back to their nest.
I thought about getting them some fertilized eggs to sit on but then I have no idea what I would do with the chicks when they are born.

I feel bad for them but just don't know what to do to help them. Like I said they are my pets, I am not a big egg eater so not having eggs from them is not a big deal. I miss their company and their personalities and want to help them get over this as quickly and painless as possible. Any Ideas??

 

[gryeyes]

Well, is there any way you can get them some fertile eggs to hatch?

If not, and it were me in the same situation, I would leave them their pop light. Or give them a couple of golf balls. They may very well brood forever, but since you are taking them out every day to eat, they won't waste away.

If you were able to get them some eggs, they'll brood for 3 weeks, then you will get to see their mothering instincts as they raise their chicks. That's SO worth it, as far as I'm concerned. I loved watching my broody moms raise their babies!!

Just a couple eggs apiece... how bad would that be?

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Agreed.

Is there anything a silkie won't try to hatch?!?

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Your pet Silkies will probably want to go broody on a fairly regular basis. If you don't want to routinely hang them in a Broody Buster pen it would probably be easiest to give them a few eggs to hatch. Perhaps you can find other poultry keepers, even BYC members, in your area who would like to have their fertile eggs hatched. You could have your pets incubate their eggs & tend to the chicks for a month or so, then return the growing chicks to the egg owners.

 

[SAKim]

Thanks everyone for the ideas.
I was so hoping there was a solution ...

I could order some eggs but I don't know anyone that has chickens or wants chickens so I have no way to re-home the babies... My dream would be to live on a small property and have lots and lots of chickens but for now (probably forever) I live in the middle of downtown and barely have enough room for my girls...

I have to figure something out, I would just die if my girls wasted away ...

I think I will try taking their little poplight away again tomorrow morning. They are going to be so upset but maybe if they aren't sitting on anything, they will be able to stop being broody. I know they are not eating and drinking as much as they usually do and I don't want them to die.

Does anyone think it would work to take the poplight away?
Any other ideas?
There has got to be a nice way to help them through this ...

 

[Break an Egg]

Let them each have 2 eggs. They will hatch them and they won't be broody for about 7 or 8 weeks, meaning they will be back to normal besides raising a chick or two. It will make them very happy, and then you can give the chicks away. The easiest way to rehome would be on craigslist.

 

[Gypsi]

I have a funny feeling this was a good post to read. All my girls are one year old about Feb 7th....(guessing of course, I bought them March 2nd 2010 and they had feathers but were very small.)

 

[Ridgerunner]

You obviously think it is cruel to break them in a broody buster cage, but I personally think it is cruel to not break them if you are not going to give them eggs to hatch. They do not eat or drink or get exercise as much as when they are not broody. Someone weighed their broodies and they lost 30% of their body weight while they went through the hatching cycle. They are weakened and are more susceptible to parasites while broody. Most hens can survive quite well for several weeks while broody, but it is hard on them. Some hens will stay broody for several months if they don't hatch eggs. That is my opinion on breakng them if you don't let them hatch eggs. Do one or the other.

To find fertile eggs, you can go to the "Where are you? Where am I?" section on here, find your state thread, and post on there. You will probably find someone in your area that you can get fertile eggs and may possible take the chicks when they hatch. You can talk to someone at the feed store, maybe even put a sign on the bulletin board if they allow that. You can advertise on Craigslist. But don't hatch any unless you have a plan to get rid of them, since you probably can't keep them in town, especially if you get roosters.

I'm sorry if I come across as mean or blunt, but I do think if you own animals, you have a responsibility to care for them properly. They depend on you to live happy, healthy lives.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

It's not unkind to put them in a wire-bottomed cage to break their broodiness. They just need the opposite conditions that are condusive for brooding. Several days kept in a cage bare of bedding in a bright place, hung from high or set up on blocks or sawhorses so that there's fresh air coming up from underneath should break this current broody spell.

However, with Silkie hens you'll probably have to do this on a regular basis, they tend to be a broody breed. Check this forum to find some other BYCers in your area, or check at the place where you buy your chicken feed, you should be able to find SOMEone with fertile eggs. Just hatching one or two chicks will satisfy your hens (for a while) and many folks that will supply the eggs will be glad to take the chicks back after a few months.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Hey Ridgerunner! We must have been typing the same kind of messages at the same time!