How long does a broody need to set before she will adopt chicks??

[suebee]

Quote:
I agree.

 

[Wendy'sChicksRock]

see all this Broody chat and now mine has gone broody!!! Im a little worried for her cuz she is soooooo tiny... this is her first time and she wont eat or drink.. UGHHhhhhh these silkies are gonna make me crazyyyy

here She is.. Tiny Little Tinker Bell ..

 

[JLS]

I was really hoping to use my little silkie but she wont agree to it. I placed the EE in a BIG plastic tote. The food and water are within her reach so she doesn't have to get up to eat and drink. I dont think the EE is completely broody yet. But she is still on the nest. So I think she should go completely broody in a few days.

TSC said that the chick shipment will be delayed until the week of the 3/14/11. I hope this wont be too long for my EE. I know it's best for the chicks though. I will see if this works. Thanks for the advice

Here's a photo of her broody box:

 

[bantyshanty]

3 a.m.: I've just put 3 dutch/serama chicks fresh out of the 'bator under a D'anver pullet broody for 7 days only. Will let you-all know if she accepts them in the morning. I'm going to sleep nest to her nest box, in my office

10 a.m.: Edited to include results: the broody D'Anver slept & covered the chicks until about 7 a.m., then noticed she was hungry & thirsty, and she jumped off the chicks,
pecked --at-- them into a corner, and went to the other side of the nest box to eat & drink.
Back she was carried to the coop, and in came the trusty cochin, who is only 7 days broody herself, yet is accepting the chicks, if not thrilled by them. 3 1/2 hours covering them, so far.

Yet another breed stereotype has been reiforced (D'Anver) as with my last broody, a Polish Crested.

Conclusion: Generally, the broody should be near full-term, but there are breed exceptions

 

[spiritdance]

I hope I'm not jumping into this thread inappropriately, but this seemed like a good fit. I have a Silkie sitting two banty cochin eggs and two lavender dutch bantam eggs right now. I also have some eggs in the brooder due to hatch on the same day (her decision, not mine --- I loaded the bator then went out to feed that night only to find she had stolen one cochin egg and had no intentions of giving it up --- so I slipped her three more eggs). Afterward, I started wishing I had given her a couple more eggs, even though I know there's always the risk she won't sit them all the way through. If she does, however, I'm thinking of slipping her a couple more chicks if hatching goes as planned. My question is this --- how many chicks do you think she can reasonably handle? She's a mid-sized Silkie and fairly shy, although not at the bottom of the pecking order by any means. Any feedback is appreciated.

 

[bantyshanty]

Spiritdance:
If she's a good, steady, well-grounded sensible silkie, then 6 would be fine for her. If she's a forgetful silkie, as some of mine are, then three is a better number. I've had both types of silkie raise chicks, and the forgetful one needed me as a nanny for quite a while, even with only two chicks. Her dominant chick grew to be the beta pullet in the flock, even dominant over her mom!
Another factor to consider is whether you'll be putting her in a brooding nest away from the flock and possibly inside the house if it's cold where you are, or if she's going to raise them in the coop from the start.

If she's separated a while she can probably handle more chicks.