Broody Silkie. To Break, or Not to Break?

[RainyPeeps]

I am a first time Silkie owner and knew when I chose them that they were very likely to go broody. So here we are 5 weeks after one of them started laying and she has gone broody on me. I have no roosters because I can't have them in the city and I don't plan on buying any fertile eggs for her to hatch. I have one main nesting box for my little flock and a smaller box on the floor of the coop that only my 2 Silkies lay in. I have been moving her if she is hogging the main box and the big girls need to do their business. Sometimes I set her by the food so she can get something to eat and drink. Sometimes I put her in the little box to continue her brooding.

I just wanted to get some opinions on whether or not most people try to break their Silkies in this situation or just let them continue sitting on "air eggs." Thx!

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

If you have no intentions of letting her hatch some eggs, then yes, break her. Brooding is hard on their little bodies. No need to put her thru that with no pay out in the end. Another option if you'd like yo see her be a mother (which is super adorable, by the way) is to pick up a few sexed pullets from TSC or wherever you can find them. Slip them under her at night and check early in the morning to make sure all is well. Be prepared to brood them yourself if its not. Good luck! I've had two broodies recently. One was easy to break, the other is relentless so she's sitting on 3 eggs. I'd been trying to break her for weeks, so I think I'll go to TSC this week and get her a few babes!
Nikki

 

[RainyPeeps]

Aw, shoot. I have some 3 week olds in the brooder right now. I suppose they are too old to pull off the trick?

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

That really depends on your hen. I tried to give my hen two week old chicks and she was having none of that. But I've other hens that would take any baby I'd give them (chickens, geese, ducks and turkey). You could give it a shot, but they're more likely to adopt day olds.
Nikki

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Since you don't say you want chicks, then break her. Don't let her sit on nothing. Broodies will eat and drink very little, so it's hard on their bodies. It's especially hard on them when there's no end point, since there will be no eggs to hatch and snap her out of the broody trance.

Put her in a wire bottomed cage with no bedding for a day or two. It won't hurt her, and it will snap her out of her trance.