Hatching keets

[Mattisonmandi]

I have found my Guinea’s nest and have been putting their eggs under my 3 broody silkie hens. Some are due to hatch in a few days and I’m debating how to handle this. Should I move one of my silkie hens in the brooder with the eggs and let her hatch them and raise them for a bit? How many eggs can one silkie sit on? If I put more than one broody hen in the brooder will the other kill the babies?
Thanks!!

 

[Dmontgomery]

Though I’ve never done it before with keets, my thought is yes, let the mama hen hatch them in the brooder. That is the plan I have for this year. My guinea is up to about 25 eggs in her nest. I’m hoping a hen will go broody and hatch some in my big brooder. That way the keets can stay off the damp ground for the first few days.
If your brooder isn’t big enough to partition off, I wouldn’t let 2 different hens in there at the same time. Mine is 8’x3’ so I was able to have an Orpington and Sussex hatch out at the same time earlier the year.
I’ve never had Silkies so I don’t know how they would act together. Last year I had 2 Golden Comet hens coparent a hatch of 12 chicks together for several weeks.