Broody Silkie Question

[2hot2chicken]

So today my silkie went broody. Im sure she is......
1. She didn't get out of her nest box all day and when I tried to pick her up she bit the crap out of m hand.
2. I finally got a towel to pick her up and threw her (not literally) out into the run and opened the run door to let them out to free range she want out for bout 10 mins then was back in the run pacing at the chcken door wanting back in.
3. I opened the ccen dor and she went right backk to her nest even though I took the 1 egg she layed last night so now she is on an empty nest.

Questioons:
1. If I decide to try to give her a chick can I do it now or should I give her a while before I do it?

2. Does it have to be less than a week old or has anyone tried giving a hen say a 4 week old chick instead?

3. She has been around many other newborn chicks before from her previous owner who just left the chicks and hen with the flock. She never let her raise babies though, she always gave eggs to her BO hen to raise when she was broody so I don't know yet if she will be a good mom or not. She is pretty high up on the thrown though if not the top hen so I don't think there would be much if any trouble from my other chickens as they are just reaching laying age anyway so still young.

Any ideas? I could try breaking her of being broody to but I thought I would explore giving her at leased 1 chick to see how she does. She is a very nice quality chicken and has been shown before in 4h taking 2nd place out of all the other silkies at the show I was told...... Havnt shown her ourselves yet..... So I eventually would like to be able to breed her and get some chicks. But I do not want to have to incubate if I can avoid it anyway........ If I give her a chick it would only be a silkie as I am quickly running outa room and silkies are hard to find in my close area..........

 

[Happy Chooks]

Is she on the nest at night also? If so, she's broody.

I'd let her sit for at least a week, then give her a chick. You want the chick as young as possible to avoid her rejecting it. (1-2 days old) Stick the chick under her at night, and watch carefully the next morning.

 

[2hot2chicken]

Quote:
trust me shes broody.....
she always sleeps in a nest box. but she is also always the 1st out in the morning. yesterday nothing. I had to put her out and lock the door, and after she drank a pecked round for 10 minutes or so she was pacing at the chicken door wanting in. It was very hot and she was panting from pacing so I let her in and back to her nest.

Today she didn't come out so after a couple of hours I went n did the same as last night. I threw her butt outa the nest. She drank a lot of water then right back to the nest she went! And its an empty nest. I took the egg yesterday morning.

I know the younger the chick the better chance of success.
I'm just wondering has anyone had success before giving their hen an older chick? Is it possible?

I plan on doing it at night and I pretty much have to as she is aggressive and bites the crap out of my hand as soon as it gets close to her.
I will be giving her a couple more days just to make sure she is not going to give up. Its been very hot latley for our area and is supposed to continue for a few more days so I want to make sure before I give her eggs or a couple chicks.

I wish there were more people in the portland area with silkies! I would rather not order chicks again but I think I may have to.......
We really do not have a good selection on craigslist and stuff here in nw oregon, and I do not really want to buy and be stuck with a bird I cannot sell later and will not want to keep.......

Why couldn't have gone broody 4 weeks ago when I placed my last order at ideal! LOL The world may never know

 

[2hot2chicken]

update***

Got her 4 splash silkie chicks today... Finally found a breeder outside of portland but not to far off Thanks to BYC

They are 2-7 days old, 2 smaller ones are very tiny and seemed a little bit weaker so I have them in the house in a brooder for now till I am comfortable with them going out. Bigger stronger 2 I took to her tonight and she accepted the 1st one without insident so I left her for a while and checked on her. She was all fluffed up with the chick comfertably under her so I gave her the 2nd one to which she bit my hand and tucked the chick the rest of the way under her by herself! Tomorrow will tell for sure but its lookin good for her as a 1st time mommy. Im gona put all the rest of the girls out in the yard to free range since they are molting and not laying anything and let her and the chicks have the whole coop to themselves for the day to get adjusted with room to move around. Since this hen is the only one laying I just used a tall baby gate to divide the nesting area from the rest of the coop and for tonight I left her in her nest box but piled up the shavings so if they do leave the nest in the morning before I am up the most the chicks will fall is about 2-3 inches to a soft landing. I will be out there at 6am putting in her new nest box on the ground and making a more perminent divider for mom and babies in the morning to......

I feel like more of a new mom than her though...... I have already been out there every couple of hours to check on her and make sure she didn't throw a chick out or something! I keep telling myself its the cycle of life and if a chick dies then it dies, trying to be firm but I cannot help but be protective of them! And I would cry if something did happen to one and feel so guilty since I gave her the babies!!!!

 

[2hot2chicken]

Well I ended up putting a wire rabbit cage without the bottom on it in the coop for her and the 2 babies. with food and water. She has been a wonderful mom and is ready to take the babies out of the cage and Im sure out into the run. I'm gona work today on a new ramp in/out of the coop cause the 1 I have is to steep for the lil fuzzy butts to get up. Otherwise the new family is doing better than I could have hoped for.

I still have the 2 little chicks in the house however becuase I found the weakest chick had a small tear in its vent when I got it and that is probably why it was so weak. It keeps getting pasty butt to and it sticks to the tear. I always soak its butt really well in warm water to get the poop off and put neosporen on it a couple times a day along with some vasaline to keep poo from sticking to it. Seems to be working and it is getting sooo much better and the vent is almost healed but Im not gona give it to the hen until its 100% and no pasty butt! So its little buddy has to stay in to.......

 

[AlienChick]

Congratulations on your baby chicks and your awesome broody hen!