Our bantam silkie hatched and is raising five 4-week-old chicks from various of our hens' eggs. I'm wondering if she might go broody again this season or if we'll have to wait till next season to hatch more chicks. Also, how many chicks are too many for one hen to handle?
It wouldnt hurt just let he go broody if you need to hatch more chicks. Just depends, I had one raise 20 chicks before.
I think there is a good chance she will go broody again. I have one VERY broody EE who brooded last April, August, Dec, and this March! She has her latest chicks who are 4 wks right now. So I think there is a good possiblity your silkie could brood again later in the summer! For a bantam, the number of chicks/eggs they can handle depends on how many eggs fit under them! If it is too many, some of the eggs will be cold and won't hatch well. I would say she could have up to 7 or 8 eggs if they fit comfortably under her? Maybe more if they are bantam eggs? Good luck!
Silkie #1 went broody in December and hatched out 4. She went broody again in April and now has two babies under her. (Sat on 8 eggs the first time, but it was freakishly cold and I don't know that my fertility was all that great. Second round was shipped eggs AND she had quite a bit of interference from the other hens that likely did in some of the eggs.) Silkie #2 went broody in January/hatched out 4 in February. She's sitting on 8 right now, due in 11 days. (She had 7 eggs, but the temps dropped to single digits and I think some froze. Six of the seven eggs had chick development.) I fully expect them to go broody again this summer. I have found with my girls that they can realistically cover 8 standard eggs. More than that and they shove them out of the nest or don't adequately keep them warm.
