Broody Silkie hen

[There a chick...]

Hi everyone! I have been looking through the threads about broody hens, but I thought I would post to see what you think!

I have an eight month old Silkie hen, who has decided that she would like to be a mom even though it is February in Michigan. Sure, it has warmed up today and yesterday but this has been going on for almost three weeks.

My question...how long will this behavior go on? Or is it different for different chickens?

I have been really tempted to stick some eggs under her and see what happens...

But I know as soon as I do that, she will decide that she is tired of sitting in the next box!

Thanks in advance for all of your broody chicken knowledge!

 

[Happy Chooks]

For a silkie? Probably forever.

I'd give the girl some eggs, but I'm a sucker for mama's and babies!

 

[There a chick...]

Quote:
LOL! That is what I was afraid of! Hmm...now to plot where I can set her up when and if chicks hatch...

 

[Happy Chooks]

There a chick... :

Quote:
LOL! That is what I was afraid of! Hmm...now to plot where I can set her up when and if chicks hatch...

Now you just have to decide what breed to hatch!​

 

[azygous]

I was just getting ready to post my own thread when I read yours. I have an eight-month old Black Cochin who has been gearing up to go broody for almost a week now, and today she made it formal.

Morgan is normally the most efficient layer in the flock, jumping into a nest box and squirting out her egg in a couple minutes and then she's outta there!

But lately she's been lingering and I started noticing her downy black belly feathers litter the nest after she departs. Then yesterday I noticed she was developing the "broody cluck". Today she planted herself on the nest, and when I went to take her off, she puffed out like an angry badger, screeching at me angrily. Curiously, she has been laying, including an egg today.

I had read that, like Silkies, Cochins are super-duper prone to broodiness. So this wasn't unexpected. I just didn't expect it this soon.

I'm not ready for more babies at this time, so Morgan is now in broody treatment. I have a metal patio table in my garage with an open mesh top, and I installed her on it with a milk crate covering her and securely clamped to the table. The last broody I subjected to this treatment was broken in just thirteen hours. Hopefully Morgan will snap out of it quickly and can be returned to the flock soon.

I'll return her to the pen in the morning and observe her. If I don't hear that low broody clucking, and if she doesn't make a bee-line for a nest box, I'll be able to breathe easier. When I had my first broody, a Brahma (also majorly broody-prone) I didn't understand what was happening, and she sat on an empty nest for over a month, lost half her body weight, and worried me sick. Now that I'm broody-savvy, I don't waste any time on that foolishness and nip it in the bud.

If you aren't quite ready for a new batch of babies, this is a viable alternative.

 

[There a chick...]

Thanks azygous...it is a little cold yet and I don't have a setup for her to hatch eggs and raise babies. I do see her come out and eat/drink. It's funny how she will act when there are actually eggs under her, not just her fake ones...strange noises those broodies can make!

 

[azygous]

I was hoping that my psycho-broody Morgan would take the broody-breaking cure quickly and get back to normal. No such luck.

I moved her broody-breaking cage out to the pen today and set it up in the middle of the action. She remained in it all day, and I let her out to stretch her legs at sundown and to share the scratch grain with the rest of the flock. Morgan pecked up a few grains and headed, broody-clucking under her breath, straight to a nest box and planted herself in it.

So she's spending the night in the cage in the garage again. However, I added a fan and have it blowing on low under her. Getting a lot of air circulating under them helps disrupt the broody drive, since they crave a warm, snug nest. I've resigned myself to this taking as long as a week to accomplish.

Good luck with your little psycho-broody. Our girls are so young to be having to cope with the wrath of adult hormones.