Broody Silkie

[FowlLove]

Hello everyone! I noticed today that I have a broody silkie! I’m planning on letting her sit and hatch them. My question is, should I lock the other girls out? I have the nest box door closed right now and some separate food and water for the silkie. I’m just wondering if it will really be a problem for the other girls to continue to lay in there? Or will they push her off her egg? Also, will the other girls be able to go back to laying eggs in the nest box once this is over? Thanks!

 

[FowlLove]

Bump

 

[Silkie2005]

Hello everyone! I noticed today that I have a broody silkie! I’m planning on letting her sit and hatch them. My question is, should I lock the other girls out? I have the nest box door closed right now and some separate food and water for the silkie. I’m just wondering if it will really be a problem for the other girls to continue to lay in there? Or will they push her off her egg? Also, will the other girls be able to go back to laying eggs in the nest box once this is over? Thanks!

Leave your hen in the place that she has gone broody and move the rest of the flock away from her to another coop. They will remove her from the egg every day when they lay eggs themselves so the egg won't incubate properly.

If you don't have another coop to put your other chickens in then I would suggest you put the eggs you want hatching into an incubator and when they make their first pip at the shell put them back under your hen.

It is always better to have the hen on her own with the chicks for the first 3 to 4 days so that they can bond before going out with the rest of the flock and it also means the chicks are big enough to run away from the rest of the flock if they try to peck them. If you could leave her with the chicks for the first 6 weeks or so before putting her back with the chicks that is better because you don't have to worry about the chicks being accidentally killed by one of the adult chickens.

Good luck!