Hatching under a broody

[NoSkiveez]

I have a broody hen that just won't give up. She is a silkie. I have a handful of silkie eggs I can put under her. She is still in the pen with 5 other hens and a roo. If I give her some eggs, when they hatch will the rooster kill them? Should I separate her now and give her eggs?

 

[emys]

Can you put your broody in a dog crate big enough for her and food and water inside the coop? It is best to allow her to sit away from the other birds.

Are your other birds standard size? If you are worried about the chicks, probably the best thing to do after they hatch is make a run inside the regular run for the first few weeks, so everyone can get used to the chicks gradually and the chicks can get bigger before introductions.

 

[NoSkiveez]

I do have a crate I can put her in. I've never had a problem introducing younger smaller chicks with the silkie girls but I've had to take the roo out for beating up immature roo's. I wasn't sure if it was advisable to take her from her normal environment or not.

 

[emys]

You want her separate during the incubation so she isn't disturbed by other hens kicking eggs around and laying more in the nest. If your coop is big enough, put the crate in there, so she isn't far away from all the other birds, that way they can hear the chicks in the eggs hatching. After they are a week old, and eating well, you could try letting mom and babies in with the rest.

If your rooster is a silkie he is unlikely to hurt babies. I find other jealous silkie hens can be a problem because they try and adopt the little ones away from mom, and sometimes babies can be caught between fighting hens. That's why I keep the babies a little apart for about the first week and then see how it goes from there.

I'm sure a lot depends on your birds personalities which you know best. Good Luck with your hatch.

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

If you have 15-20 spare minutes to watch this inspiring story of Liza the Silkie chicken's heroic mothering, these 2 links will brighten your day! Its from The Natural History of the Chicken, a documentary by Mark Lewis done in 2000. The first link is the Liza story by pastor Joseph Tauer, but it cuts off right at the end, so the second link can provide the end of the story:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg4FXWsdDEI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXXUPK-OvtQ

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

Oh I almost forgot! Here's a vid of our Silkie being a Very Happy Momma, sharing duties with our Rosecomb (they worked out this deal on their own. They're kind of best friends.)

here's the thread of her journey, it wasn't all that easy! But today she's a Very Happy Hen:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=388210

I wish you the best luck!

 

[NoSkiveez]

I have a closed top brooder in the silkie pen. I've put her in there with a handful of silkie eggs. This will be the first time I've let eggs hatch like this.