Chick Return Program??

[sean_wonder]

Another idea would be to see if someone local has some fertilized eggs and let her hatch them, I don't have an issue giving someone local a few fertilized eggs , only time I don't got em is when they are molting

The only problem is how to find the local fertilized eggs

 

[sean_wonder]

Also, both me and my mom are against putting her in a wire cage to make her uncomfortable for a couple days. While it's effective, I really don't want her to be forced to stand on wire for so long We don't really need the eggs but she's a Silkie so I'm worried about her health in the future. Her bald spot has already become noticeable and its only day four or so.

 

[123RedBeard]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/find-your-states-thread.270925/ look for your state, then ask if anybody near you has any ... or Craigslist ...

 

[slordaz]

The only problem is how to find the local fertilized eggs

you could post here with your location and ask, you could ask the local feed store if they know of anyone, or see if there is a facebook group for chickens in your area too

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

We have an often broody silkie, Susan. She was in a bad place this past summer as most of her friends in the flock had recently died, so she stubbornly refused to break and would barely eat or drink. We did get her chicks, and she was thrilled. Those chicks are now two months old, and she’s broody again. We have a broody breaker wire cage where she will go once I’m sure she’s stopped laying, as we can’t give her chicks every few months. We were successfully able to break Susan’s broodiness before her friends were lost; I viewed those chicks as a one time thing to get her through a tough period. You may want to figure out how you can break your broody silkie, as it’s likely going to be a recurring issue.

 

[sean_wonder]

Day five: she has gotten a lot worse. Her entire underside is bald and her nest is coated in feathers. When I put her in the run she ate two bites of food before running back up to the nest. I held her while I did all my chores, then tried again. Immediate run for the nest. I soaked her in cold water with a hose and didn’t towel her off, put her down in the run, and she shook once and took off for the nest. She doesn’t give a hoot about ice packs. Maybe I’ll try a longer bath. Wire cage is not an option for me. She does make a very sweet, motherly clucking sound every time she’s in the run, like she’s assuring her babies she’s still around. She makes the clucking sound when she’s in the process of getting back on the nest. It’s adorable, but I can’t believe she’s gotten so bad so fast. Only one chicken laid an egg yesterday because she wouldn’t even let them sit in the opposite nesting box, much less with her.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Day five: she has gotten a lot worse. Her entire underside is bald and her nest is coated in feathers. When I put her in the run she ate two bites of food before running back up to the nest. I held her while I did all my chores, then tried again. Immediate run for the nest. I soaked her in cold water with a hose and didn’t towel her off, put her down in the run, and she shook once and took off for the nest. She doesn’t give a hoot about ice packs. Maybe I’ll try a longer bath. Wire cage is not an option for me. She does make a very sweet, motherly clucking sound every time she’s in the run, like she’s assuring her babies she’s still around. She makes the clucking sound when she’s in the process of getting back on the nest. It’s adorable, but I can’t believe she’s gotten so bad so fast. Only one chicken laid an egg yesterday because she wouldn’t even let them sit in the opposite nesting box, much less with her.

Our silkie, Susan, just moved into our wire broody breaker cage last night. Why is a wire cage not an option for your broody girl?

 

[sean_wonder]

Our silkie, Susan, just moved into our wire broody breaker cage last night. Why is a wire cage not an option for your broody girl?

My mom and I are veryyyy attached to our chickens. We view them as pets, so we give them the cushiest life we can. My mom and I both feel uncomfortable with putting any sort of animal into a cage with a wire bottom for the sole purpose of, well, making them uncomfortable; even if it's only for a couple days, we'd still feel so guilty. I've kept her away from the nest for a couple hours, done the ice packs, soaked her in water today, tried to give her treats every time she was down (not by her own means)... it feels like I only have two options left. I don't want to get animals with the purpose of reselling them, nor do I want to make my pet uncomfortable purposefully, but I have to make a choice. The unfortunate part is my mom doesn't really understand why being broody is a bad thing, nor that she won't just "quit it" if I let her go at it for a while. Aaaaagghhh. I'll try looking on craigslist and maybe start emailing some nearby people...

 

[cmom]

If you truly want to break her of being broody the wire cage is the best option. I had a broody several years ago that would have probably died on her nest of eggs because she didn't want to get off of the nest. Every day I would make her get off for around 15/20 minutes. I would block the nest so she couldn't get back on until I unblocked it and then she was back on it in a flash. Silkies are prone to be broody.

 

[NatJ]

Also, both me and my mom are against putting her in a wire cage to make her uncomfortable for a couple days. While it's effective, I really don't want her to be forced to stand on wire for so long We don't really need the eggs but she's a Silkie so I'm worried about her health in the future. Her bald spot has already become noticeable and its only day four or so.

You don't want the chicken to be uncomfortable, but you've been putting ice packs on her, and soaking her in cold water? It sounds like a wire cage might be less stressful overall, for her and for you.

I understand wanting to break her broodiness for the sake of her health, but I don't understand the reasoning for which methods you will and won't try.

Also, is it really necessary to break her of being broody? You don't need the eggs, and she's happy, so it's just a matter of keeping her healthy.

To help her eat, maybe try putting food within reach of the nest. Consider using chick starter, because it's got higher protein (and probably higher vitamins, etc)--so each bite would have as much nutrition as possible.

(If you think she needs exercise, carry her away from the nest and let her run back, several times per day--she's obviously willing to do that!)

Edit--looks like two more posts appeared while I was typing this, so it looks like I posted without reading them (because that's technically what I did!)