Broody Silkie

[Heather67]

I have a Silkie that just went broody and we want to see if the eggs will hatch. My question is do I leave her where she is? Do I move bed and the eggs? She is in the corner of the coop in the favorite spot that most of the hens lay eggs. This is a first for us.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You'll find that we do it different ways. Some people totally isolate a broody hen from the flock while some of us let them hatch with the flock. In general I don't consider one way right where the other is wrong but there might be certain circumstances where one way works better for you. We are all unique in our set-ups and conditions. To me a ground level coop, especially one big enough so you can walk in, would maybe make a good one to leave her alone. If you have a tiny elevated coop moving her may be a good idea. People with walk-in coops sometimes isolate them too.

Regardless of which way you go, the eggs need to all start at the same time. That way they should all hatch at the same time. If they have staggered start times you get a staggered hatch which can be really stressful and often not that successful.

If you elect to leave her where she is, mark all the eggs you want her to hatch. Then every day after the others have laid check under her to remove all that don't belong. You can still use those eggs as long as you remove them daily.

If you elect to isolate her you need a predator proof pen with room for a nest, food, and water. A little room for her to go poop might help. A broody should know instinctively to not poop in her nest but that does not carry over to in her food and water. Give yourself access as you will probably be cleaning. She needs to be locked in there until the eggs hatch so she cannot go back to her old nest and the others cannot get in her nest.

Different ways to do this. You might be able to build a pen around her current nest to isolate her there so you don't have to move her. It would be nice if your coop were that big. The biggest risk in moving a broody is that she does not accept the move and breaks from being broody. Plenty of people move them all the time with success but there is this risk. There are techniques to improve your odds if you move her. If you elect to move her we can go into more details.

If you do try to isolate her and her chicks after they hatch, make sure you don't have any openings big enough the chicks can get through. You don't want a chick leaving Mama's protection. Typically a broody hen will protect her chicks from other hens and some predators. If the hen cannot get to the chick it is vulnerable.

 

[Heather67]

We did mark the eggs yesterday. We built a makeshift pen around her. (Thank god we never throw anything out lol ) She has room for food, water potty and roaming if she needs to.

 

[Ridgerunner]

We did mark the eggs yesterday. We built a makeshift pen around her. (Thank god we never throw anything out lol ) She has room for food, water potty and roaming if she needs to.

 

[chickens really]

As long as you have a Rooster and the eggs are fertile you should have Chicks soon. Always best to block them off from the others.

 

[KOdin]

I let my hens hatch their eggs in the main coop with the flock. I make sure to have alternative water and food on the opposite side of the coop because the moms are savages.

My coop is very large and has a large outdoor space on the opposite end of the nests so the rest of the flock can chill outside or in the back of the coop. I would probably not recommend if you have a smaller coop where the other chickens have nowhere to run when mom gets mad