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Hi All. Hope you're enjoying the fresh snow! I have some amateur hatching questions I'm hoping you can help me with, my silkie pullet is approximately 5-6 months old. She has not started laying so I am wondering if I were to purchase eggs if she would hatch them? If so how many can I give her? Ive been reading on broody hens but still don't have a great understanding of how this all works. Will she go broody if I give her eggs or is this just something she will decide on her own and that will be the only time she will hatch eggs? Any info would be most appreciated.
 
Adam7 said:
It's day 19 for my eggs... The suspense is killing me! What humidity do y'all use for lockdown? I have mine hovering between 49-50%. Wondering if I should increase or not. They were at 35-40% for the first 18 days.

I am a very impatient person and this is teaching me to be patient... Bah.

I am also having a hard time being patient for my gqf 1502 that I am picking up on Saturday... To put a cherry on top he says it comes with all kinds of spare parts. Exciting.

I have a long Friday ahead of me...
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I'm a newbie can you bring me up to speed, you have built all of your own equipment to hatch your very first chickens and they are hatching any day now?
 
Ataylor said:
Hi All. Hope you're enjoying the fresh snow! I have some amateur hatching questions I'm hoping you can help me with, my silkie pullet is approximately 5-6 months old. She has not started laying so I am wondering if I were to purchase eggs if she would hatch them? If so how many can I give her? Ive been reading on broody hens but still don't have a great understanding of how this all works. Will she go broody if I give her eggs or is this just something she will decide on her own and that will be the only time she will hatch eggs? Any info would be most appreciated.
Click to expand...

Hi!

From what I have read on BYC, she is just coming into the right age to start to lay; the weather can have a affect on laying, i.e., too cold out, not alot of sunshine; and some hens won't lay when molting. Sometimes diet can have an influence as well. They need calcium (from crushed oyster shells) and feed for laying hens.You can also provide fresh veggies and some fruits, but read up on what to give her and NOT to give her.

I wouldn't worry about it just yet, give her some more time.....I've read and been told that they can start at 6 months, but can be as late as 7 to 9 months. I've also read that the older a silkie is when she starts to lay, the more eggs she is likely to produce!
 
Ataylor said:
Hi All. Hope you're enjoying the fresh snow! I have some amateur hatching questions I'm hoping you can help me with, my silkie pullet is approximately 5-6 months old. She has not started laying so I am wondering if I were to purchase eggs if she would hatch them? If so how many can I give her? Ive been reading on broody hens but still don't have a great understanding of how this all works. Will she go broody if I give her eggs or is this just something she will decide on her own and that will be the only time she will hatch eggs? Any info would be most appreciated.
Click to expand...

Your pullet is reaching point of lay (POL), although that could mean she will lay her first egg tomorrow, and it could mean in several weeks :) Since days are lengthening she should start soon. Once she starts to lay, it will probably be at least a month before you see any sign of broodiness, if she's going to be a broody - she will start sitting on her eggs/nest, stop laying, and only move off the nest once or twice a day for a quick drink and a bit to eat, and a gigantic poop you can't believe came out of that tiny hen.

It is at the point she is "sticking" to her nest that you can give her eggs to hatch if you wish. If she is on the small side, you might start with 4 or 5 eggs, if she's bigger 6 or 7 - you don't want to give her too many to keep warm, and you don't want to give her so many that she can't keep the chicks warm as they grow - they will continue tucking under her at night for warmth for at least 3-4 weeks and often longer than that if she lets them.
 
wsmith said:
Nothing like a pattern for my new one next year...
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LOL I was thinking the same thing! :)
 
Pozees said:
Your pullet is reaching point of lay (POL), although that could mean she will lay her first egg tomorrow, and it could mean in several weeks :)  Since days are lengthening she should start soon.  Once she starts to lay, it will probably be at least a month before you see any sign of broodiness, if she's going to be a broody - she will start sitting on her eggs/nest, stop laying, and only move off the nest once or twice a day for a quick drink and a bit to eat, and a gigantic poop you can't believe came out of that tiny hen.

It is at the point she is "sticking" to her nest that you can give her eggs to hatch if you wish.  If she is on the small side, you might start with 4 or 5 eggs, if she's bigger 6 or 7 - you don't want to give her too many to keep warm, and you don't want to give her so many that she can't keep the chicks warm as they grow - they will continue tucking under her at night for warmth for at least 3-4 weeks and often longer than that if she lets them.
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Thank you Pozees! That was extremely helpful. So much to learn. What if I were to get a few chicks how long before than can go in with the others?
 
Chook Chick said:
Hi!

From what I have read on BYC, she is just coming into the right age to start to lay; the weather can have a affect on laying, i.e., too cold out, not alot of sunshine; and some hens won't lay when molting. Sometimes diet can have an influence as well. They need calcium (from crushed oyster shells) and feed for laying hens.You can also provide fresh veggies and some fruits, but read up on what to give her and NOT to give her.

I wouldn't worry about it just yet, give her some more time.....I've read and been told that they can start at 6 months, but can be as late as 7 to 9 months. I've also read that the older a silkie is when she starts to lay, the more eggs she is likely to produce!
Click to expand...
Thanks so much for the info!
 

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