Finally !!! two chicks

[SilkiePuff]

so two of my chicks hatched last night, with some help from me taking the big end of the eggs off so they could breath.. still have one trying..

my Silkie hen has also gone broody, so i'm thinking about adding the chicks to her..but not sure how to go about it..

she is sitting on 7 eggs.. i'll be candling them come here in a few days.. should I add the chicks while she is sitting on the eggs, or will that cause her to get off the eggs? I want her to hatch out those 7, which will make my life easier..since I've been wanting her to go broody since like ever.. plus its almost winter.. so raising chicks in the winter is going to be a challenge as it is..

any thoughts and ideas would be great

 

[robin416]

If she's just gone broody chances that she will take the chicks are slim. You also can not give her the chicks and expect her to raise them if she is sitting on eggs. Those two things just don't go together. They won't be able to get under her for warmth so they will suffer from hypothermia and strong possibility of death. They will look to her for instructions on how and what to eat, where the water is. Without that they are on their own.

She also might kill them defending her eggs from interlopers. Silkies are wonderful birds, I have a coop full of them but they do have their limits for accepting things. Some will take every chick they can find as long as the hen is not on eggs. I watched one of mine grab one of her own chicks and shake it like a dog one day. The peep had hatched a day ahead of its sibs. Things eventually worked out but Momma Silkies can be formidable.

 

[muddyhorse]

got any pics of the chicks

what color are they ?

 

[SilkiePuff]

Okay so I will stick them in my brooder tomorrow..then.. I really don't want mama to kill the chicks, and if she cant hatch out the 7 then thats a plus.. saves me from incubating them..LOL

1 is blue the other is black, i'm hoping the white I had shipped in will pop out tonight he is working so hard on his egg but I don't want to really open the incubator to help out.. I'll post pics tomorrow. I stupidly left my camera in the car.. and its cold out side now..brrr..